The roof of a tuition center in Pakistan collapsed, crushing children inside and resulting in 14 fatalities. Police have arrested two suspects potentially responsible for the incident.
Foreign news agencies reported on Tuesday, 30 Jun 2026 GMT+7, that the roof of a private tuition center in Lahore, eastern Pakistan, collapsed onto students inside, causing 14 children to die.
Farooq Ahmed, spokesperson for the Rescue 1122 emergency service, told the BBC that they received the alert at 16:45 local time on Tuesday. Rescue operations were completed within an hour, with most victims aged between 7 and 11 years.
Meanwhile, senior police officer Faisal Kamran stated that 8 children were injured and are currently hospitalized. He added that authorities have arrested the tuition center owner and another individual for investigation.
Kamran further explained that the tuition center was housed in an old building, and the roof structure of the unfinished second floor collapsed due to substandard construction quality.
After the incident, the atmosphere outside the hospital and in the suburban Lahore community where the tuition center is located was filled with sorrow. As the bodies of the children were returned to their families, parents wept over the loss, while mothers and female relatives cried and beat their chests in mourning.
Most of the deceased were children living nearby. Funeral prayers are expected to be held Tuesday evening.
Later, grief turned to anger as locals demanded severe punishment for the tuition center owner, blaming him for operating classes in an old, unsafe building.
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Source:abcnews