Child dies, four injured as school roof collapses during summer camp in Lahore

LAHORE: A child was killed and four people were injured when the roof of a school building collapsed during a summer camp in the Baghbanpura area of Lahore on Thursday, rescue officials said.

Rescue 1122 officials said the incident occurred during renovation work at the school where a summer camp was underway and a number of children were present.

Following the collapse, police and rescue teams rushed to the site and shifted the injured to hospital. One critically injured child later succumbed to injuries. He was identified as eight-year-old Abu Bakar.

The injured include workers identified as 35-year-old Khizar, 38-year-old Shakeel, 32-year-old Abdul Latif and 42-year-old Nazeer.

Officials said that other children present at the site were rescued safely. Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident.

This latest tragedy comes days after a roof collapse at a tuition centre in the Kahna area of Lahore killed 14 children and injured several others, raising serious concerns over safety standards in educational and private learning facilities across the city.

Following the Kahna incident, the Lahore Education Authority had announced stricter monitoring of tuition centres, coaching academies and educational buildings, including an emergency survey and mandatory registration of private institutes within three days.

The survey will collect information on safety arrangements, student enrolment and other essential operational details at private academies and tuition centres. The survey is expected to be completed within three days, after which a comprehensive report will be prepared.

Based on the findings, the Education Authority will formulate a new policy and regulatory framework for the registration and operation of private tuition centres to help prevent similar incidents in the future.

Lahore Education Authority introduces new rules for tuition centres after Kahna tragedy

The survey will also identify unsafe and unregistered tuition centres. Special inspection teams comprising zonal heads and Assistant Education Officers (AEOs) have been constituted to carry out the exercise and submit their findings within the stipulated timeframe.