In Rajasthan, India, the roof of a public school building collapsed, killing seven children and injuring at least 21 people
New Delhi – The roof of the government middle school building collapsed on Friday in India's western state of Rajasthan, killing seven children and injuring at least 21 people, police said.
The collapse occurred shortly after students were arriving in the classroom and were about to start a school meeting, police officer Amit Kumar said.
The reason for the roof collapse is still unknown.
According to local media, desperate parents, teachers and locals quickly joined the rescue operation and sifted through the mounds of tile debris to pluck out trapped students.
According to Indian press, local official Ajay Singh said the accident would be investigated. He added that the district administration had recently requested a list of aging school buildings from the education sector, but the school was not there.
The school in Piplod village in Jhalawar district has students up to 8th grade or known as Indian Middle School.
There were a total of about 35 students when the roof collapsed. All seven deaths were students in 7th and 8th grade, Kumar said. The injured were taken to two local hospitals for treatment.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office lamented the accident in a social media post, calling it “tragic” and “deeply saddened.”
“My thoughts are with students and their families affected by this difficult time,” the statement read, adding that the authorities are providing “all possible support.”
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