At least four students of a private school lost their lives and another 20 sustained injuries when the roof of their classroom collapsed in Punjab’s Dera Ghazi Khan city on Thursday.

Rescue 1122 District Emergency Officer (DEO) Engineer Ahmad Kamal said the tragedy occurred at around 11:52am when the roof of The Little Scholars School collapsed. The school was located on a road between V and W blocks of DG Khan, he added.

He confirmed that the bodies of four students were pulled out of the debris, adding that the deceased children were identified as Ghania Zohra (8), Masoom Fatima (5), Dua Aimen (6) and Muhammad Abdullah (6).

The injured were identified as Saima (26) (Teacher) Ume Hani (7), Sher Ali (8), Noor Hareem (7), Shajiha (5), Adnan (6), Saba Murtaza (6), M. Arish (7), Hamema Jabbar (8), M. Azlan, Kabir Qadir, M. Saboor, M. Afnan, Maleeha Khan (7), Sidra Rafiq (Teacher-30), Jariatul Zehra (6), Narmeen Fatima(6), Badar Muhiuddin (7), Mumtaz (27), and Sanaullah (28 ) (Labourer).

The injured were shifted to the Allama Iqbal Teaching Hospital, he said and added that after being alerted, rescuers rushed to the spot.

He stated that work on the upper portion of the building was in progress, which overburdened the roof, resulting in classroom collapse.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz sought a report after taking notice of the sorrowful incident.

Following the incident, DG Khan Commissioner Ashfaq Ahmad Chaudhry, Regional Police Officer (RPO) Azhar Akram and District Police Officer (DPO) Sadiq Baloch reached the site to review the situation and monitor the ongoing rescue operation.

Meanwhile, an emergency has been declared at all government hospitals in the city to ensure immediate and best possible medical treatment for the injured children.

DG Khan Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Usman Khalid said the school owner was arrested after the registration of a case in connection with the roof collapse incident.

The official said that construction material for a building under construction was stored on the school’s roof.

He added that 780 students were enrolled at the educational institute, and an investigation was launched into how such a large number of children were accommodated in a five-to-six-marla building.

The deputy commissioner further stated that officials who had issued the building’s fitness certificate were also being investigated as part of the ongoing inquiry into the incident.

Khalid vowed that all those responsible would be brought to justice.

— Additional input from APP