14 Children Killed in Lahore Tuition Centre Roof Collapse; Owner, Contractor Booked for Negligence

LAHORE: Police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the owners and contractor of a private tuition centre in Lahore's Kahna area after a roof collapse claimed the lives of 14 children and injured six others.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Operations Faisal Kamran confirmed that the property owners and the contractor responsible for the building's construction have been named in the FIR. The case was registered on Tuesday at Kahna Police Station under Sections 322 (manslaughter) and 337-H (causing hurt through rash or negligent acts) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

The FIR was lodged on the complaint of Lahore Metropolitan Corporation official Kashif Aslam, who told police he reached the scene around 5:15pm and found several children trapped beneath the debris after the roof of the private tuition centre collapsed.

According to the complaint, rescue teams recovered the bodies of 14 children from the rubble and rescued six others with injuries.

Investigators stated that the tuition centre was operating inside a residential house owned by Rehan, Faizan, Usman and Umar. The FIR alleges that Rehan's wife was teaching students inside one of the rooms when the roof caved in. She also sustained injuries in the incident.

Police further alleged that Rehan, Usman, Umar and contractor Umair were placing soil on the roof of the already deteriorating building at the time of the incident. Authorities believe the additional weight caused the weakened roof to collapse.

Initial investigations led to the detention of two individuals, including the property owner, while DIG Faisal Kamran confirmed that the contractor involved in constructing the house was also taken into custody. Police said evidence is being collected and those found responsible will face strict legal action.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz directed police and district authorities to complete a thorough investigation and initiate criminal proceedings against anyone found responsible for the tragedy.

Community Mourns Young Victims

Funeral prayers for the 14 children were attended by hundreds of grieving residents on Wednesday before the victims, mostly between the ages of four and 12, were laid to rest in a local cemetery.

The tragedy has left the Kahna community in deep shock, with residents describing it as one of the worst incidents in recent memory.

"For our community, this is nothing less than a catastrophe," said local resident Aas Muhammad, noting that some families lost more than one child in the collapse.

Many residents said they had long been concerned about the condition of the building but had few affordable educational alternatives nearby.

"Everyone knew the building was in very poor condition, but we had no choice," said Muhammad Farooq, whose daughter was among those killed.

Residents have urged the government to conduct comprehensive structural inspections of schools, tuition centres and other educational institutions to prevent similar tragedies.

"No child should ever be placed at risk simply for seeking education," Aas Muhammad said.

The collapse site remained covered with broken bricks, twisted steel bars and shattered concrete, while children's belongings could still be seen beneath the debris.

Calling it "a tragedy of unimaginable proportions," another resident, Muhammad Anwer, said the disaster had devastated not only the affected families but the entire neighbourhood.

Compensation and Investigation

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz announced financial assistance of Rs2 million for the family of each deceased child and Rs500,000 for every injured victim.

The incident comes less than two months after another roof collapse at a private school in Dera Ghazi Khan killed four children and injured 20 others.

A preliminary investigation into the Lahore tragedy found that construction work to extend the tuition centre was underway when the classroom roof collapsed. According to the district administration, the roof had been overloaded with sand and bricks during construction, causing the weakened structure to give way.