DG Khan School Roof Collapse Kills Four Children, Injures 20

Four children lost their lives and 20 others were injured on Thursday after the roof of a classroom collapsed at a private school in Dera Ghazi Khan, Punjab, triggering a major rescue response and renewed concern over safety standards at educational institutions.

According to the preliminary account shared by the district administration, the incident took place around noon while students and staff were present on the school premises. The injured included 16 students, two teachers and two labourers, making it one of the most serious school-related structural accidents reported in the province in recent months.

Emergency teams were dispatched soon after the collapse was reported, with rescue personnel, ambulances, district officials and local residents joining efforts to remove trapped students and staff from the debris. Rescue officials said responders reached the scene within minutes and shifted the injured to nearby hospitals for medical treatment.

District Education Authority Chief Executive Officer Waqas Gill said he was present at the site while search and rescue work was being carried out. Rescue 1122 spokesperson Farooq Ahmad also confirmed that rescue workers and residents worked together to pull victims from beneath the rubble after the roof came down.

The district administration’s preliminary findings pointed to construction activity at the school as a key factor behind the tragedy. The report stated that an extension of the school building was under way when the classroom roof collapsed, adding that sand and bricks had reportedly been placed on the roof, increasing the load beyond what the structure could bear.

Before the preliminary report was issued, education officials had already indicated that the matter would be investigated and that action could be taken against the school administration if negligence was established. The concern is especially serious because construction work was allegedly being carried out during school hours, when children were inside the building.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz took notice of the incident and sought a report from the relevant authorities. Her intervention has increased pressure on district officials and education regulators to determine why students were allowed to remain in a building where construction work was taking place and whether the school had followed required safety procedures.

The collapse has once again highlighted the vulnerability of schoolchildren in poorly monitored private institutions, particularly in areas where building inspections, construction oversight and emergency preparedness remain inconsistent. For parents across Punjab, the incident raises urgent questions about whether classrooms are being treated as safe learning spaces or as neglected structures exposed to avoidable risks.

Authorities are now expected to complete a formal inquiry, identify responsibility and decide whether criminal or administrative action is required. The wider impact of the tragedy may depend on whether the provincial government moves beyond immediate notices and introduces stricter inspections for school buildings, especially where construction or renovation is taking place during academic hours.