PESHAWAR — The second day of mourning in Peshawar’s Dir Colony was marked by visits from political leaders, government officials, and a United Nations delegation, as families buried 33 children and a female teacher killed when the school roof collapsed on Thursday morning.
According to Express News, the tragedy has left the community reeling, with bereaved parents recounting harrowing scenes of rescue efforts and loss. A foreign team comprising United Nations representatives toured the affected school to assess its infrastructure and meet with the families of the deceased children.
Officials Brief UN Delegation as Investigations Stall
During the visit, the secretary of the Private Schools Regulatory Authority briefed the UN delegation on the incident and shared details of the available facts. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, Federal Minister Amir Muqam, Provincial Interior Minister Kifayat, the health minister, advisers, and other political leaders also met with the victims’ families.
While inquiry committees have been formed to investigate the tragedy, reports indicate that no relevant department had yet visited the site to conduct its investigation, raising concerns among families about accountability and the pace of the probe.
A Father’s Devastating Loss
Zakirullah, the father of two children who died in the incident, said he had three children — two sons and a daughter. His daughter informed him about the collapse, and when he reached the school, he found his sons trapped beneath the rubble in a devastating scene.
He said his sons, Abubakar and Muhammad, both second-grade students, had died after being buried under the debris. Rescue personnel recovered the children and shifted them to a hospital. Zakirullah, who serves as deputy prayer leader at the Peshawar Services Club and originally belongs to Dir, said his children had been studying at the school since the beginning.
Warnings Ignored as Children Feared Shaking Roof
In another account, a child had reportedly been sent home to bring school fees and returned to find the roof collapsed. The child’s friends, Abdullah, Shayan, and Muhammad, were among those who died.
According to the children, the roof used to shake when they moved around, but a teacher had reassured them that there was nothing to fear. Several other families also lost children in the tragedy, including the family of Pir Muhammad, which lost five children.
The scale of the loss has intensified calls for stricter oversight of private school infrastructure in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as grieving families demand answers and justice for the children whose lives were cut short.
