Roof collapse in Pakistan kills 14 children

Fourteen children died after the roof of a tutoring center in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore collapsed on Tuesday, rescue officials said.

The Punjab emergency service said rescuers found children and a 30-year-old teacher under the rubble of the private school offering extracurricular activities.

The children killed were between 5 and 16 years old, with the majority being under 9 years old.

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari said preliminary reports indicated that the tutoring center was unregistered and operated inside a private residential building under a dilapidated roof.

Such centers are common throughout Pakistan, where children attend extra classes outside of regular school hours.

"If negligence, recklessness or any violation of the law is proven, those responsible will face strict legal action," Bokhari said in a statement.

Bokhari said authorities in Punjab have also been instructed to inspect unsafe buildings ahead of the monsoon season and introduce stricter rules for unregistered tutoring centers and private educational institutions.

President Asif Ali Zardari expressed grief over the deaths and called for effective security measures to prevent such tragedies.

Source: CNN