KP governor reviews inquiry into Dir Colony school collapse

An inquiry report into the collapse of a school building in Peshawar's Dir Colony, which killed 33 children, has been submitted to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, who chaired a meeting on Wednesday to review it, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported.

The state news agency's report on the meeting did not give the findings of the inquiry. ARY News reported that the inquiry had identified negligence by the relevant departments and held the school owner and the departments concerned responsible for the incident.

According to ARY News, which cited sources, the report recommends that the provincial Law Department be consulted before action is taken against those held responsible, and calls for strict measures to prevent similar incidents in future.

ARY News reported that 33 children were killed when the roof of the school collapsed. Police registered a case at Agha Mir Jani Shah police station, and the first information report put the toll at 33 children and a female teacher, with 52 people injured.

According to the FIR, substandard construction materials were used in the school building, which was described as dilapidated and unfit for use. Complaints had reportedly been lodged earlier about the deteriorating condition of the walls and roofs, and the school owners allegedly failed to address them despite concerns raised by children about the building's condition.

The roofs of a nursery classroom on the second floor and several rooms on the ground floor collapsed, the FIR stated.

The school stands on a 16-marla plot owned by Waheed and Javed, according to ARY News. The land was reportedly leased in 2024, after which the school building was constructed.

Neither the Associated Press of Pakistan's account of the meeting nor ARY News's report said what action the governor would take after reviewing the inquiry, or when any proceedings against those named would begin. The governor's office has not issued a detailed statement on the report's contents.

The case has focused attention on how private school premises are approved and inspected in the province, and on whether earlier warnings about the building's condition were acted upon by the departments now named in the inquiry.