Pakistan: Rights body demands probe after Lahore tuition centre roof collapse kills 14 children
Islamabad, July 1 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) The Human Rights Council (HRC) of Pakistan has expressed serious concern over the tragic roof collapse at a private tuition centre in Lahore’s Kahna area, which claimed the lives of 14 children and left several others injured.
The incident occurred on Tuesday when the roof of a private tuition academy collapsed, killing at least 14 children and injuring several others, local media reported, citing officials.
Confirming the death toll, Punjab province Health Minister Khawaja Imran Nazeer said “around 20 people” were trapped under the debris, including the 14 children who were brought dead to the Kahna Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) Hospital.
Following the completion of the search and rescue operation, a Rescue 1122 spokesperson, Farooq Ahmed, said that a female teacher and eight children were admitted to Lahore General Hospital (LGH) with multiple injuries. He added that five of the children were in critical condition.
“The children were very young, and there were two rooms in use. The ceilings collapsed and trapped the children,” Dawn quoted Ahmed as saying.
The HRC alleged that the failure to inspect the construction quality of such academies and buildings in residential areas amounts to gross negligence, which has resulted in the loss of innocent lives.
The rights body called on the Pakistani government and relevant authorities to conduct an immediate and transparent inquiry into this incident to identify those responsible for the negligence. It also urged the administration to provide the best medical facilities to the injured children and ensure all possible financial and psychological support to the affected families.
“The protection of innocent children and the establishment of a safe educational environment for them is the state’s primary responsibility, and immediate and stringent measures are essential to prevent such incidents in the future,” the HRC noted.
Reports suggest that roof and building collapses are a recurring problem in Pakistan, where weak safety enforcement and substandard construction materials have repeatedly contributed to such tragedies.
Earlier on Monday, two minor sisters were killed, and their cousin was injured after the boundary wall of their house collapsed in Alipur tehsil of Punjab’s Muzaffargarh district.
In a separate incident earlier this month, three members of a family died when the roof of an under-construction room collapsed in Jaranwala tehsil of Faisalabad district, Dawn reported.
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