14 students killed, five injured as tuition academy roof collapses

KARACHI - At least 14 students were killed and several others injured when the roof of a private tuition academy collapsed in the northeastern city of Lahore on Tuesday, a minister confirmed, Anadolu Ajansi reported.

At the time of the collapse, 35 to 40 students were present at the academy in Kahna, a lower-income suburban neighbourhood of Lahore. More than a dozen were rescued from the rubble, while another five are being treated in the hospital, Health Minister for Punjab province, which includes Lahore, Khawaja Imran Nazir told reporters.

A spokesperson for Kahna Hospital confirmed that 19 people, mostly students, were brought to the health facility in an unconscious condition; of them, 14 were pronounced dead.

The deceased were aged between seven and 12. A 30-year-old female teacher is also among the injured.

Rescue authorities fear that at least seven students are still believed to have been trapped under the debris.

Footage aired on multiple local broadcasters showed rescuers equipped with light machinery engaged in the rescue operation.

The police have arrested two people, including the owner of the academy. - AFP