Pakistan community holds funerals for 14 children killed in roof collapse

Lahore, Pakistan: Pakistani mourners shouldered bedframes in a procession through the narrow streets of Lahore's Kahna area on Wednesday as they carried the bodies of 14 children killed when the roof of their tutoring centre collapsed the night before.

Residents and families gathered by freshly dug graves at a nearby cemetery before returning to a neighbourhood where frantic rescue efforts had given way to mourning.

Grief engulfed the community in Pakistan's second-largest city, with some wiping away tears and embracing while others called for urgent action by authorities to prevent further disasters.

"For our community, this is nothing less than a catastrophe," said 48-year-old resident Aas Muhammad, adding that some families had lost multiple children when the roof gave way during their lessons.

Residents of the disadvantaged neighbourhood to the south of Lahore said they had suspicions that the building housing the tutoring centre was rundown.

However, there was a dearth of nearby options to give their children a chance at improving their education and forging a better future.

"Everyone knew that the condition of the building was very poor," said Muhammad Farooq, 30, whose daughter was killed. "But we had no choice."

Hundreds of mourners took part in funeral prayers at the local mosque on Wednesday before the dead children, mostly aged between four and 12, were carried to the graveyard for burial.

'Wake-up call' 

The roof collapse has fuelled anger alongside grief, with the community questioning how an apparently unsafe building had been allowed to house a private tutoring centre.

"I would like to appeal to all relevant government authorities to fulfil their responsibilities by carrying out thorough structural inspections of schools and other educational institutions," resident Aas Muhammad said, adding that the disaster should serve as a "wake-up call".

Roof and building collapses are common across Pakistan, mainly because of poor safety standards and shoddy construction in the South Asian country of more than 240 million people.

Authorities have promised an investigation and police said two people were taken into custody on Tuesday night.

"No child should ever be placed at risk simply for seeking education," Muhammad said.

Broken bricks, twisted steel beams and shattered concrete lay strewn across the ground at the collapse site as local residents looked on in disbelief.

Remnants of children's belongings were still partially buried beneath the rubble.

"This is a tragedy of unimaginable proportions," resident Muhammad Anwer, 53, told AFP.

"It is not only the families who have lost their children who have been devastated; the entire community has been left in mourning."