At least 14 children killed after roof of Pakistan tuition centre collapses

At least 14 children killed after roof of Pakistan tuition centre collapses

A roof collapse at a private tutoring centre in Lahore on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, killed at least 14 children and left others injured. The facility was located in a residential building on the outskirts of the city in the Punjab province.

Rescuers and local residents used shovels and their bare hands to dig through rubble to reach those trapped. An Edhi ambulance service spokesperson identified the location as Basti Eid Gah, Kahna Nau, an area south of the city. According to the spokesperson, the incident claimed 14 lives and injured five people.

However, senior police official Faisal Kamran reported that eight children were injured and were receiving treatment at a hospital. Medical sources indicated the deceased children were aged between roughly four and 12, while other reports stated the centre housed children aged 5 to 16, with most victims under 9.

A 30-year-old female teacher was also found under the debris, according to Punjab's emergency service. Lahore Commissioner Marryam Khan confirmed the death toll and added that a teacher had been injured.

The disaster occurred while workers were repairing tiles on the building. A witness, 45-year-old Zaheer, who lost his niece in the collapse, said the roof was in poor shape. He stated that the weight placed on the roof during the tile repairs caused the structure to give way while children were studying.

Faisal Kamran described the facility as being housed in an aging building, noting that the roof of an unfinished second floor apparently collapsed due to poor construction quality. Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari said preliminary reports revealed the centre was unregistered and operating inside a privately owned residential building with a dilapidated roof. A statement from the Punjab education minister added that the house belonged to a teacher who educated children from a disadvantaged neighbourhood.

Authorities have taken the owner of the tutoring centre and one other person into custody. Commissioner Marryam Khan stated in a statement that those responsible for the incident will be found through a transparent, unbiased and immediate investigation.

Azma Bokhari warned that those responsible would face strict legal action if negligence, carelessness, or law violations are established. Bokhari further noted that Punjab authorities have been directed to survey unsafe buildings before the monsoon season and implement stricter rules for private educational facilities and unregistered tutoring centres.

Building collapses are common in Pakistan, where safety regulations are frequently ignored to reduce costs and construction standards are poorly enforced. Many structures utilize substandard materials. For context, 27 people were killed and 10 injured in July of the previous year when a five-storey building collapsed in the Lyari area of Karachi.

Outside hospitals and throughout the neighbourhood, families gathered in grief. Residents expressed anger toward the owner for operating classes in an unsafe building. Resident Zafar Iqbal described the scene as he visited bereaved families, stating,

"We don’t know whose home to visit first to offer condolences for the loss of their children,"

Zafar Iqbal, resident, via ClickDetroit

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif both expressed grief over the tragedy. President Zardari called for effective safety measures to prevent similar incidents, while Prime Minister Sharif prayed for the recovery of the injured and directed authorities to provide all necessary medical assistance.

Police are continuing to collect evidence at the scene in the tightly packed residential area.