LAHORE: Lahore has witnessed another heartbreaking roof collapse, with a 13-year-old girl losing her life after the ceiling of a house on Raiwind Road suddenly caved in.
The latest incident marks the third roof collapse reported in the provincial capital within just three days, raising serious concerns about building safety, construction standards, and structural maintenance across the city.
According to Rescue 1122 officials, the accident occurred when the roof of a residential house, constructed with iron TR girders, collapsed while several children were playing on top of it. The heavy debris buried those underneath, resulting in the death of the teenage girl. Two women and another young girl also suffered injuries and were immediately shifted to the nearby THQ Hospital for medical treatment.
Emergency responders reached the scene shortly after receiving reports of the collapse and launched rescue operations to recover the victims. Authorities are investigating the exact cause of the incident and assessing whether structural weaknesses or poor maintenance contributed to the tragedy.
Earlier on the same day, another fatal roof collapse occurred in Lahore's Baghbanpura area, where part of a school building gave way during a summer camp. Rescue officials said renovation work was underway when the roof collapsed, trapping several people inside.
Police and Rescue 1122 teams quickly arrived at the school and shifted the injured to hospital. An eight-year-old child, identified as Abu Bakar, later died from his injuries despite medical efforts. Four workers, identified as Khizar, Shakeel, Abdul Latif, and Nazeer, were also injured in the incident and remain under treatment.
The back-to-back tragedies have intensified public concern over the safety of buildings where children gather, particularly schools, tuition centres, and residential structures undergoing renovation or construction.
The latest incidents come only two days after one of Lahore's deadliest building accidents in recent years. In the Kahna area, the roof of a tuition centre collapsed during classes, killing 14 students and injuring several others. Rescue officials reported that ongoing construction work on the rooftop placed excessive pressure on the structure, causing iron girders to snap and tons of debris to crash onto students attending lessons. Around 35 children were inside the tuition centre when the collapse occurred.
Following the series of fatal accidents, citizens have called for immediate inspections of aging buildings, stricter enforcement of construction regulations, and action against those responsible for unsafe structures. Engineers and safety experts have also stressed the importance of regular structural assessments, particularly for older buildings and facilities where large numbers of people gather.
Authorities have launched investigations into all three incidents and are expected to determine whether negligence, unauthorized construction, or violations of building codes played a role. The repeated roof collapses have sparked widespread demands for stronger safety measures to prevent further loss of life and ensure that schools, homes, and public buildings meet required structural standards.
