The collapse of a school building in Peshawar’s Dir Colony has killed at least 34 people, including 32 children and two teachers. The tragedy has renewed concerns about the safety of buildings, especially schools, and about how construction regulations are enforced across Pakistan. Authorities have ordered an inquiry, and questions are being raised about the building’s condition, its approvals and its safety inspections.
The incident has also drawn fresh attention to earlier disasters in which structural failures, poor maintenance or alleged negligence put students and teachers at risk. Roof collapses across the country have claimed scores of lives in 2026, and children have been among the most frequent victims. From homes and wedding gatherings to classrooms and tuition centres, the collapses have occurred in many districts.
Early 2026 collapses during weddings, rain and payment gatherings
A timeline of the year’s incidents records 32 reported cases or groups of incidents, covering deaths, injuries and the circumstances of each collapse. Several reports point to a combination of heavy rainfall, ageing infrastructure, excessive structural loads and ongoing construction work. Those factors recur throughout the list.
The first major incident came on January 4, when at least six people, including a woman and three of her daughters, were killed in Shabqadar tehsil of Charsadda district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to police, most of the victims were relatives who had gathered for a wedding scheduled later that day. On January 18, two girls aged eight and 12 died and 11 others were hurt when a residential roof collapsed during a wedding in Ferozwala, Sheikhupura district. Rescue authorities blamed excessive weight on the roof.
Rainfall was linked to further deaths in the following weeks. On January 29, a woman and her three-year-old daughter were killed in Had Kor, Ambar tehsil, Mohmand district. In February, a 28-year-old woman, Ayesha Azeem, died in Faisalabad after an old house collapsed, and rescue officials said the weight of a rooftop water tank had contributed.
The deadliest early incident was in Rahim Yar Khan on March 16, when the roof of a shop gave way. Seven women were killed and 75 others were injured. The women had gathered at the shop to collect payments under the Benazir Income Support Programme. Authorities announced an investigation into the structural failure and possible negligence.
April and May collapses across four provinces
In April, four people, including two girls, were killed in Bajaur district when a room roof collapsed in the Mandal area. Reports on a series of collapses in Bhakkar, Punjab, on April 7 differed. An initial report recorded one death and four injuries, while more detailed reporting identified two fatalities. The figures still need to be reconciled before a final toll can be set.
Children were again among the victims in Kurram district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where four children died in two separate collapses after heavy rain. Three siblings were killed in Durrani, Lower Kurram, and a two-year-old boy died near Parachinar. Authorities said they had received information about six roof collapses across the district during the rainfall. Two brothers also died in Pathan Kot, Loralai, in Balochistan, after a mud-built room gave way.
On April 29, four members of a family, including a couple and their two sons, died in Lalian, Chiniot district, when the roof of an under-construction house collapsed. Preliminary reports suggested that excessive loading during construction may have contributed. A further collapse on May 5 killed four people in Ladhar village, Narowal district, and trapped six others.
The most serious educational failure in this period occurred on May 7 at a private school in Dera Ghazi Khan. Four children were killed and 20 people were injured when a classroom roof gave way. An official investigation found that construction materials, including bricks and sand, had been placed on the roof during extension work. The injured included 16 students, two teachers and two labourers.
June and July incidents, including the Lahore tuition centre collapse
June brought several fatal collapses in a single day. In Shangla district, six children from the same family died when the mud-built roof of their home fell in Rahimabad Bassi, Alpuri tehsil. A seventh child was critically injured. Separately, two sisters died in Gand Dheri, Charbagh, in Swat district, and a man was killed at a mud-built hotel in Paloga, Kalam. Together with the Shangla tragedy, these incidents claimed nine lives.
In Faisalabad district, a woman, her one-year-old son and her sister-in-law were killed when a roof came down in Chak 381-GB Bara Olakh. Construction of an extra room was reportedly underway above an older structure when a wall failed. A nine-year-old boy also died in Ganj Husainabad, Narowal, during construction and renovation work.
The worst incident of the year for children came on June 30 in Lahore’s Kahna area. Fourteen children were killed and eight others, including a teacher, were injured when the roof of a home-based tuition centre collapsed. The academy was operating from a residential building in Basti Eidgah, where repair work was underway after water had reportedly leaked through the roof. Investigators said a supporting girder failed under the added weight of construction materials and mud.
Police registered a criminal case and detained five people, including the building owner. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz announced compensation of Rs2 million for each bereaved family and Rs500,000 for each injured child. The collapse became one of the deadliest reported educational building failures of the year.
The timeline continues into July. On July 2, an eight-year-old boy was killed and five others were injured when the roof of an under-construction private school building collapsed in Lahore’s Baghbanpura area. The school was reportedly undergoing expansion work when the roof gave way.
