Pakistani officials announced today, Thursday, that at least 21 children were killed and dozens injured following the collapse of the roof of a private school in the "Dera Colony" neighborhood of Peshawar, northwest of the country.
The Pakistani news channel "Geo" reported, in a report followed by the news video agency, that the administration of "Lady Reading" Hospital announced the arrival of 21 bodies at the hospital, after previously reporting four fatalities related to the incident.
The hospital administration added that the incident resulted in the injury of 20 children, in addition to the transport of a teacher's body to the hospital, while the police chief of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's capital, Mian Saeed, reported that over 40 people were injured due to the roof collapse.
Rescue teams had previously indicated there were several children trapped under the rubble, confirming the initiation of search and rescue operations to retrieve those trapped and provide assistance to the injured.
Rescue teams and relevant authorities continue their operations at the accident site, amid fears of a rising death toll.