PESHAWAR: Families of children killed earlier this week when the roof of a private school collapsed in northwestern Peshawar city mourned the dead, recalling their dreams and aspirations.

The roof of a private school in Peshawar’s Dir Colony collapsed on the morning of Oct. 15, killing 34 students and one female teacher.

The incident sparked grief across the country, with police detaining the owner and saying the building was weak while the roof was overloaded with construction.

“She demanded me to bring her new shoes, and I had gotten her a new pair of shoes which she wore that day after gifting the old one to a cousin,” Mohammad Sohail, the father of a girl who died in the collapse, told Reuters.

Mohammad Haroon, the brother of another victim named Aamir, recalled him being an “exceptionally capable student.”

“It had been my mother’s wish that he study at this school because it offered both general education and religious instruction,” Haroon said. “She hoped that he would gain religious knowledge and eventually become an Islamic scholar.”

Zakirullah lost two sons to the tragic incident but his daughter survived the incident. He recalled how she arrived home to inform the parents that the incident had taken place.

“When we arrived, we saw that the classroom where my two sons had been studying had collapsed,” he said. “The entire rubble had fallen on top of them, and both children were trapped underneath.”