Twenty-seven pupils and a teacher were killed on Thursday after a roof collapsed at a school in the northwest Pakistani city of Peshawar, a hospital official said.
Muhammad Asim Khan from Peshawar's Lady Reading Hospital confirmed the toll to AFP, adding that more than 30 people were injured, with six believed to be in a critical condition.
All the children killed were aged 13 or younger, Khan said, according to local newspaper Dawn.
The hospital declared an emergency, he said.
Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Ahmed Faizi earlier said rescue personnel had transported around 20 people, including students and teachers, to hospitals.
A rescue operation was under way.
Building collapses are frequent in Pakistan, largely due to lax safety regulations and the use of poor-quality construction materials.
In June, 14 children died when the roof of a private tuition center collapsed in Lahore’s Kahna area.
