ISLAMABAD, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Five women were killed and 20 others injured on Monday when the roof of a building collapsed during the distribution of welfare payments in the Rahim Yar Khan district of Pakistan's eastern Punjab province, officials said.
Deputy Commissioner Zaheer Anwar Jappa told Xinhua that the incident occurred when more than 200 women gathered on the first floor of a building to receive payments under the Benazir Income Support Program.
Rescue 1122 teams launched relief operations and shifted bodies and the injured to the Sheikh Zayed Medical College Hospital, where the district administration declared an emergency to handle the casualties.
Authorities said the roof, reportedly constructed with substandard material, could not withstand the weight of the large crowd and suddenly collapsed, trapping several women underneath the debris.
An eyewitness claimed that seven women died at the scene and more than 30 others were injured during a stampede following the collapse, but officials have not confirmed the claim. ■
