Pakistan school owner arrested, police say, after roof collapse kills at least 29

PAKISTAN: At least 28 pupils and a teacher have been killed after a school roof collapse in Peshawar, Pakistan

The owner of the school has been arrested, police say, as investigations are carried out into the structure of the building.

A local official says emergency services were first alerted to the incident at the private Al-Khair school in the Dir Colony neighbourhood at 08:48 local time (04:48 BST).

Rescue workers and residents searched the rubble for hours, concerned more children could be trapped.

Mohammad Asim, spokesperson for Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital, says at least 19 other people are injured – and the children are aged between 6 and 12 years old.

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Our reporter at the scene says rescuers struggled to get the injured out as the school is in a narrow street where only one vehicle can pass at a time.

In a statement, the office of Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari says “this heart-wrenching tragedy has plunged the entire nation into shock”.