ISLAMABAD, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from a school roof collapse in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Thursday has reached 33, with 17 injured people discharged after observation, hospital officials and a rescue service spokesperson confirmed to Xinhua.
According to a report from the Bed Management Office of Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar, 53 patients were brought to the hospital, including 33 who died and three who remained under observation. Seventeen others were discharged after observation.
The hospital list included children aged 4 to 14, as well as a 25-year-old woman.
Bilal Ahmed Faizi, spokesperson for Rescue 1122, told Xinhua that police were investigating the incident. Initial investigations suggested that heavy rainfall had caused the roof of the two-story school building in Dir Colony to collapse.
President Asif Ali Zardari expressed condolences over the loss of lives and directed the authorities to ensure medical facilities for the injured, according to his office. In a post on X, he also called for a comprehensive investigation into building safety standards at educational institutions.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered expedited relief operations and directed that all possible medical assistance be provided to the injured.
Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi ordered an inquiry into the incident. ■
