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A child was killed and several people were injured when the roof of an under-construction house collapsed in Lahore's Baghbanpura neighborhood on Thursday, according to police and rescue officials.

Coverage Comparison

Reports from Dawn, a Pakistani English-language daily, provide details of the incident, though they differ slightly on the number of injured. One report states that at least four people were injured, while a later update from the Baghbanpura police, as cited by Dawn, puts the number at five – four men and a child.

Both reports agree that an eight-year-old boy died in the collapse, and that the incident occurred in the Baghbanpura area of Lahore.

Key Claims

  • A child was killed and at least four people were injured in the roof collapse of an under-construction house in Lahore's Baghbanpura neighbourhood.
  • The roof of the third floor of the under-construction house collapsed.
  • Rescue 1122 said seven of its vehicles and 25 personnel took part in the rescue operation.
  • The injured were rushed to the Services Hospital after being provided with first aid.
  • The incident comes two days after a roof collapse at a tuition centre claimed the lives of 14 children in Lahore's Kahna area.
  • An eight-year-old boy died in the incident.
  • Four men and a child were injured in the incident.
  • Roof and building collapses are common across Pakistan, mainly due to poor safety standards and the use of substandard construction materials.

Details

According to a statement from Rescue 1122, the roof of the third floor of an under-construction house collapsed, killing a child and leaving four injured, while another person remained buried under the rubble. The rescue operation was underway with seven rescue vehicles and 25 personnel engaged, the statement added.

Speaking to the media, Baghbanpura Station House Officer (SHO) Rizwan Khan said a school administration was expanding its 14-marla building by constructing a two-marla structure. "During the construction of the aforesaid area, rubble from the roof fell on the road, killing a young boy and injuring a bike rider along with the construction workers," he said.

Footage showed multiple women, who were reportedly from the adjacent school, being taken away in a police van. The SHO denied that anyone had been taken into custody, saying the teachers were taken away to prevent any unfavourable situation considering public sentiment.

The incident occurred two days after a roof collapse at a tuition centre in Lahore's Kahna area claimed the lives of 14 children. On Wednesday, hundreds of mourners took part in funeral prayers at the local mosque before the dead children, mostly aged between four and 12, were carried to the graveyard for burial.

Roof and building collapses are common across Pakistan, mainly due to poor safety standards and the use of substandard construction materials in the South Asian country of more than 240 million people.