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Pakistan investigates deadly tutoring center roof collapse in Lahore · THE DAILY BRIEF

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  Speaker 1: Now. Officials in Pakistan say that they are investigating the
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  Speaker 1: cause of a tragic accident at a tutoring center in
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  Speaker 1: the city of Lahore. At least two people have been
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  Speaker 1: arrested after the roof collapsed at the center, killing fourteen children.
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  Speaker 1: Their funerals have been taking place today.
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  Speaker 2: Cries echoed through the neighborhood. Families in grief, shock and
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  Speaker 2: devastation attend the funerals of their children. The children went
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  Speaker 2: to a tutoring center in Lahore on Duesday but never returned.
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  Speaker 2: Officials say the roof of an unfinished second foot collapsed
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  Speaker 2: bearing the children under rebel.
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  Speaker 3: Yesterday, she went to the tutoring center at around four pm.
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  Speaker 3: I received a call from my family at a quarter
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  Speaker 3: to five saying that the roof had collapsed and most
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  Speaker 3: of the children were buried under debris.
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  Speaker 4: Every parent dreams that their child will receive leave a
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  Speaker 4: good education, earn a decent living, and be able to
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  Speaker 4: support them in the future. But that dream has been shattered.
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  Speaker 4: Nothing is left for them now. Ultimately, it's the will
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  Speaker 4: of God and there's nothing we can do.
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  Speaker 2: Ambulances and rescue workers rush to the scene of the collapse.
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  Speaker 2: Local residents join the rescue effort, taking through the debris
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  Speaker 2: with shovels and even their bare hands in a desperate
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  Speaker 2: search for survivors. Officials say that Utrink Center had been
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  Speaker 2: operating in an aging building and initial finding suggests the
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  Speaker 2: roof collapse because of poor construction.
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  Speaker 3: Government institutions must fulfill their responsibilities by investigating whether there
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  Speaker 3: are other educational institutions housed in substandard or structurally weak buildings.
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  Speaker 3: They should make sure proper solid buildings are constructed before
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  Speaker 3: opening schools and other educational institutions in them. Children are
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  Speaker 3: innocent and poor families cannot afford safe alternatives. That's why
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  Speaker 3: eighteen children were crowded into a single room when the
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  Speaker 3: incident happened.
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  Speaker 2: Official say an investigation is now underway to determine, but
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  Speaker 2: that negligence play the role in the collapse for the
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  Speaker 2: families here, there are no answers that can ease the
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  Speaker 2: heartbreak of losing a child.
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  Speaker 1: And let's get more on this story. DWUNIWS reporter Pinus
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  Speaker 1: Java that is joining us here in the studio, So
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  Speaker 1: tell us a little bit more about how people are
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  Speaker 1: reacting to this strategy, And.
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  Speaker 2: Sarah, certainly people are very sad, especially this community which
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  Speaker 2: had fourteen funerals today, all of children. There have been
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  Speaker 2: heroing scenes of mother of mother's shock, grieving, crying, some
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  Speaker 2: fainting with grief of losing a child. They send their
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  Speaker 2: children to a tuition center, which is very common in
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  Speaker 2: Pakistan that many people after school send their children to
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  Speaker 2: tuition center so they get so they learn more, their
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  Speaker 2: grades improve. But in this case it ended in a
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  Speaker 2: huge tragedy for many families.
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  Speaker 1: Did the area where this took place contribute to what happened.
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  Speaker 2: Most certainly so. Roof collapses are not uncommon in Pakistan.
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  Speaker 2: Last year a roof collapse in Karachi there were twenty
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  Speaker 2: seven people were killed, and that also was in a
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  Speaker 2: low low income community, low income area. And Sarah the government,
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  Speaker 2: and it also shows that the government's resources and efforts
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  Speaker 2: to monitor to to have an oversight of what kind
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  Speaker 2: of construction material is being used, what kind of houses
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  Speaker 2: are being built, what kind of houses are being used
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  Speaker 2: for business purposes, That kind of oversight, we clearly see
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  Speaker 2: it was missing in this case. The police say that
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  Speaker 2: they did arrest the property owner, but he is also
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  Speaker 2: from that poor neighborhood, from that poor community. And therefore
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  Speaker 2: ultimately the responsibil ability lies with the government to keep
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  Speaker 2: such to keep check of what's happening in those small,
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  Speaker 2: poor neighborhoods.
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  Speaker 1: And that's a call that we heard at godin your
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  Speaker 1: report actually from from one of the people who were
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  Speaker 1: spoken to. Does it seem as if there will be
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  Speaker 1: an increase in safety checks and as if the you know,
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  Speaker 1: the proper people will be held accountable here.
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  Speaker 2: So if we look at the history, I am not
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  Speaker 2: very positive. Often oftentimes they you know, like in this case,
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  Speaker 2: they have rested the property owner. But real accountability is
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  Speaker 2: to hold those people responsible who have to keep a
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  Speaker 2: check and have an oversight on as I mentioned, on
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  Speaker 2: construction material that is being used, on if property rules
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  Speaker 2: are being followed or not. And that kind of accountability
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  Speaker 2: still we see in many cases is missing. The government
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  Speaker 2: officials have you know, expressed sympathies with the families, but
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  Speaker 2: we don't see them mourning with the families. We don't
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  Speaker 2: see still any action taken that shows to people that
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  Speaker 2: these people will get justice for what has happened with
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  Speaker 2: their kids.
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  Speaker 1: DW. Cossman, I've been a job and thank you so much.