At least 14 children killed after tuition centre roof collapses in Lahore, confirms health minister

Lahore: At least 14 children were killed after the roof of a tuition centre collapsed in the Kahna area of Lahore, according to Punjab's Health Minister.

Rescue officials said that between 20 and 25 children, along with a female teacher, were inside the tuition centre when the incident occurred. Most of the students were young children. Rescue operations remain under way.

According to Rescue 1122, the emergency call was received at 4:45 pm. So far, five to six children have been pulled from the rubble, and officials have warned that the death toll could rise as search efforts continue.

Residents said the building operates as a school during the morning and as a tuition academy later in the day. The children were attending tuition classes when the roof collapsed.

Police said construction work was being carried out on the building's upper floor while children were attending classes on the ground floor. The owner of the property and another individual have been taken into custody as part of the investigation.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed profound sorrow over the loss of life.

He offered condolences to the bereaved families, prayed for the departed, and directed the authorities to ensure that the injured receive the best possible medical treatment.

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari instructed rescue teams to carry out the operation with the utmost care.

She said the tuition centre had been established inside a residential building and alleged that the deteriorating structure had been used to teach children without being properly repaired. She stressed that the immediate priority was to rescue all those trapped beneath the debris.