At least 34 children and a teacher were killed when the roof of a private school collapsed on students in the middle of morning classes in Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, officials said. More than 50 others were injured, several critically after being struck by falling steel reinforcement bars, in what rescue workers described as a chaotic, hours-long effort to pull children from the rubble.

The three-story building came down Thursday morning in the crowded Afridi Abad neighborhood, according to Dawn, Pakistan's leading English-language newspaper. A hospital spokesman, Mohamed Asim, said 35 bodies were brought in, including six girls, 28 boys and one female teacher, and that dozens of the roughly 50 injured children remained in critical condition, meaning the toll could still climb. Local media reports that more than 100 children were inside at the time of the collapse have not been officially confirmed.

Rescuers backed by heavy machinery worked for hours in narrow streets that slowed the operation, according to the Associated Press. One resident, identified only as Sohail, told Dawn he found 10 to 15 children trapped with debris piled up to their necks before they were freed. Bilal Faizi, a spokesman for Pakistan's emergency services, said the children had just started their lessons when the structure gave way.

Owner arrested, cause under investigation

Police arrested the school's owner, who faces multiple charges including murder, officials said. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi said those found responsible for negligence would be held accountable and that legal action would follow within 15 days. The provincial chief secretary ordered a fact-finding committee to report within a week, and officials announced audits of private school buildings across the province, with findings due within four to five days.

The exact cause of the collapse has not been determined. Pakistani officials have pointed to the building's poor condition, and the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said the disaster reflected a systemic failure rather than a freak accident.

"Not an accident but a preventable failure," the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said of the collapse, according to Dawn.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the deaths and ordered that the injured receive the best possible medical treatment, the AP reported via Swiss outlet Bluewin. The provincial government pledged compensation of 1 million rupees (roughly $3,500) for each bereaved family and 300,000 rupees for each injured victim.

Building collapses are a recurring hazard in Pakistan, where construction codes are often poorly enforced and many structures are built with substandard materials. In June, the roof of a private tutoring center in Lahore collapsed and killed at least 14 children, in a building that was reportedly still under construction. Weak regulation of private schools, which have proliferated across Pakistan's cities, has drawn repeated warnings from child-safety advocates.

Governor Kundi's office has also asked residents to submit videos of school buildings they believe are unsafe, as authorities try to identify other at-risk structures before the next disaster. With the province's audit reports due within days and the criminal investigation into the Peshawar school's owner still unfolding, officials say further details — including a definitive cause and any additional arrests — are expected in the coming week.