7 killed, 13 injured in classroom collapse in Pakistan
According to local media reports, the incident took place at about 12:00 a.m. local time when a grade 4 classroom roof of a private secondary school in Shakar Garh, a town lying some 120 kilometers northeast of Lahore in eastern Pakistan, suddenly collapsed, killing four children on the spot and wounding over a dozen others, Xinhua reported.
Three injured later died in hospital, said the reports, adding that the seven killed children included three girls and four boys.
Hospital sources said six out of the 13 injured including two teachers were in critical condition and the death toll could further rise. They said that three critically injured children have been shifted to Lahore, the largest city in eastern Pakistan.
There were an estimated 40 children aged between 8 and 10 in the classroom when the incident took place.
All the children trapped inside the collapsed classroom were later recovered by rescue workers.
Rescue workers said that the building materials left over on the classroom roof by workers constructing a new building next to the classroom caused the collapse.
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has sought a report on the incident and ordered hospitals to provide the best possible medical treatment to the injured people.
