Girl dies, 11 hurt as roof of 100-yr-old school collapses

• Mishap occurrs during the lunch break at the school
• Two students receive serious injuries, shifted to Bengaluru
• Joint Collector says action will be taken against the mandal education officer

Madanapalle (Chittoor): A girl, Afsar (8), died and 11 other students were injured when the roof of a private school building collapsed in Gurramkonda on Wednesday.

According to information reaching here, the mishap occurred when the school children were taking lunch during the afternoon break. The girl Afsar died instantaneously before the local people came to rescue of the children.

Among the injured, two kids who sustained serious injuries were taken to Bengaluru and three were shifted to Tirupati SVRR hospital. Six children are undergoing treatment at the government hospital here.

The victim Afsar’s father Kayam is a tomato merchant. Sources said that, the building where the private educational institution, Indian Public School, was housed was an old building of about 100 years. In the recent incessant rains, the old building located in the Bazaar Street in the mandal head quarter town weakened, leading to its roof suddenly caving in during the school lunch break.

Neighbours in the busy area in the town, came rushing after hearing the cries of the children. They, along with police rescued the children who came under the collapsed roof and shifted them to hospital.

It is learnt that the school owner who is a resident of Madanapalle town was not present at the school at the time of the mishap and went absconding after coming to know about the incident.

Police who registered a case, are on the lookout for the school owner. Madanapalle Sub-collector A Mallikarjuna visited the school in Gurramkonda and also the hospital here.

He said action will be initiated against Mandal Education Officer (MEO) for his laxity in allowing the school being run in an unsafe hundred-year-old building and also the school management.