Fourteen children died after ​the roof of a tutoring centre ‌collapsed in Pakistan’s eastern city of ​Lahore on Tuesday (June 30, 2026), ⁠rescue officials said, as authorities opened the way for a possible negligence ‌investigation.

Punjab’s emergency service said rescuers found children and a ‌30-year-old female teacher under ‌rubble ⁠of the private after-school facility.

The ⁠dead children were aged 5 to 16 with most below nine.

Punjab ​Information Minister Azma ‌Bokhari said preliminary reports showed the tutoring centre was unregistered and operating inside a privately owned ‌residential building under a dilapidated ​roof.

Such centres are common across Pakistan, where children attend ⁠extra lessons outside regular school hours.

“If negligence, carelessness or any ‌violation of the law is established, those responsible will face strict legal action,” Mr. Bokhari said in a statement.

Mr. Bokhari said Punjab authorities had also been ‌directed to survey unsafe buildings ahead ​of the monsoon season and introduce stricter rules for unregistered ⁠tutoring centres and private educational facilities.

President ⁠Asif Ali Zardari expressed grief over the deaths and ‌called for effective safety measures to prevent such tragedies.