School collapse death toll rises to 33; owner arrested, inquiry ordered: DC
PESHAWAR (APP): The death toll from the tragic collapse of a private school in Peshawar’s Dir Colony rose to 33 on Thursday, while 47 others sustained injuries, officials said.
Deputy Commissioner Afaq Wazir and Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) spokesperson Muhammad Asim told journalists that 33 people, including two female teachers, had died in the incident. They said the deceased included 27 children, among them six girls. A total of 47 children sustained injuries.
Asim said several injured children were being provided medical treatment at the hospital, while some of the injured were stated to be in critical condition.
An emergency had been declared at LRH immediately after the incident to facilitate treatment of the victims.
Peshawar Deputy Commissioner Afaq Wazir told media persons that an inquiry into the tragic incident had been ordered and a high level committee constituted to determine the circumstances leading to the collapse and fix responsibility.
Peshawar Police Chief Dr Mian Saeed, speaking to journalists at the site, said the owner of the private school had been arrested and shifted to the police station for investigation.
He said the school was a three-storey building and students were attending classes when the tragic incident occurred.
He said cause of the incident was being ascertained.
The police chief said the rescue operation had been completed and all injured persons had been shifted to hospitals for medical treatment.
According to Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Faizi, rescue teams, along with ambulances and disaster-response vehicles, reached the site soon after receiving information about the incident and immediately launched a search and rescue operation.
Rescue personnel worked through the debris to locate and evacuate the trapped students and staff members. Children and teachers were among those killed and injured in the collapse.
Officials said the authorities had completed the rescue operation after ensuring that no further victims remained trapped under the rubble now.
The incident has caused grief and shock among residents of the area, with authorities initiating an investigation into the causes of the building collapse.
Meanwhile Samar Haroon Bilour, a member of the Advisory Council for Information and Public Relations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, visited the school in Dir Colony, the site of a recent accident on Thursday and expressed deep grief and regret over the tragic incident.
Speaking to the media during the visit, Samar Haroon Bilour described the event as a deeply distressing tragedy that has saddened everyone. She stated that the grief of the affected families is shared by us, and we stand with them in their pain and suffering. Samar Haroon Bilour further remarked that the condition of the building points toward administrative negligence.
