Roof collapse of private school in Peshawar, Pakistan... 35 students and teachers died

Among the 50 injured, some are in critical condition... Police "Building structural defects...owner arrested"

(Jakarta = Yonhap News) Correspondent Hyeon-gyu Son = The roof of a school collapsed in northwest Pakistan, killing 35 people, including students, and injuring more than 50.

According to the Associated Press and AFP news agencies on the 16th (local time), the roof of two classrooms suddenly collapsed in a three-story private school building in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, northwest Pakistan, the day before.

In this accident, 34 students and one teacher were killed and about 50 were injured.

The dead or injured students were confirmed to be between the ages of 6 and 14, and some of the injured were in critical condition.

A rescue team official explained to AP that when they arrived at the scene of the accident, parents who were terrified tried to rescue themselves, and that about 40 people were able to quickly evacuate and save their lives.

Mahwish Zaman, a teacher at the school who is being treated for injuries at the hospital, said the school had 1,200 students ranging from kindergarten to fifth grade.

“I was in the classroom at the time of the accident and it felt like the sky was falling,” he said.

Samiullah Khan, who lives near the school, said, "When I heard the news of the accident, I ran to the school and helped rescue three female students. My son, who attends this school, went out of the classroom to drink water and was relieved."

After the accident, hundreds of mourners gathered at the cemetery to offer joint funeral prayers, and an announcement was made through the loudspeaker of the mosque, asking people to join in praying for the victims.

Pershawa police said the school building had structural defects and arrested its owner.

The school's owner claimed in a police investigation that "parts of the roof had weakened due to the rain this week."

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari each issued statements expressing condolences to the victims and condolences to the bereaved families.

In Pakistan, building collapses often occur due to poor building materials and safety standards.

Last July, the roof of a private academy building in Lahore, eastern Punjab province, suddenly collapsed, killing 14 students aged 4 to 12 and injuring 8 others.