Funerals held for 14 Pakistani children killed in tutoring center collapse

Here is the latest breaking news from around the world: Asia Funerals held for 14 Pakistani children killed in tutoring center collapse July 1, 202610:57 AM ET By The Associated Press Books, shoes and other stuff of victim children are seen at the site of Tuesday's roof collapse at a tutoring center roof, on the outskirts of Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. Chaudary/AP hide caption toggle caption K. Chaudary/AP LAHORE, Pakistan — Mourners gathered Wednesday in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore to bury 14 schoolchildren who were killed when the roof of a tutoring center collapsed on Tuesday.

Police are investigating whether negligence during ongoing construction work caused the collapse that left another eight children injured and hospitalized in stable condition. Residents and preliminary police findings indicate the tutoring center was operating in an aging building. Investigators believe the unfinished roof of the second floor may have collapsed because of poor construction.

The Details

At least two people, including the building owner, were arrested as investigators tried to determine who was responsible, senior police official Kamran Faisal said, adding that negligence by the owner and construction workers appear to have caused the collapse. Sponsor Message "We are still investigating to determine exactly whose negligence resulted in this tragic incident," Faisal said. Funeral prayers for the children, who were up to 14 years old, began before dawn and continued through Wednesday morning.

Most of the victims were buried in a local graveyard, while some families planned to take the bodies to their native towns for burial. Ambulances transported the victims' bodies overnight to their homes in Kahna, a neighborhood on the outskirts of Lahore. As the bodies were returned to their families, cries echoed through the neighborhood.

Mothers and female relatives sat beside the bodies throughout the night while classmates and friends of the victims stood nearby in tears. The funeral mourners Wednesday morning included Mohammad Ashfaq, a laborer whose 7-year-old son and nephew were killed in the collapse. "I cannot express my pain and grief in words," Ashfaq said through tears as relatives tried to comfort him.

What Experts Say

Nearby, Muhammad Farooq mourned the loss of his young daughter. "Yesterday she went to her tuition class at around 4 p. , my family called me and said the roof of the tuition center had collapsed.

They told me many children were trapped under the debris. Fourteen children were killed, and the injured were taken to the hospital. " Sponsor Message Local resident Mohammad Tahir said neighbors were the first to respond after the roof gave way.

"Rescuers arrived quickly, but before they reached us, neighbors rushed in with shovels and even dug through the debris with their bare hands," Tahir said. "We also pulled children from the rubble, but many could not be saved. " Building collapses are common in Pakistan, where construction standards are often poorly enforced.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.