At least seven children were killed and 26 others injured Friday after part of the roof and walls of a government-run school collapsed in western India, police said.
“Seven children have lost their lives so far and 26 others are injured,” Nand Kishore, a police officer in the state of Rajasthan, told AFP.
There were around 60 students, teachers and staff members in the single-storey building when the accident happened in Jhalawar district, some 322 kilometres (200 miles) from the state capital Jaipur.
Kishore said the structure collapsed when students were attending their classes early on Friday.
Villagers rushed to the site and rescued many injured children who were taken to the closest medical facilities.
Local media reports said the building was in a dilapidated condition and several complaints had been previously been raised about it.
It had also been raining heavily in the area over the past few days.
According to local news outlets, the children who died were between eight and 11 years of age, while two of the injured students were in critical condition.
Television news footage showed heavy earth movers removing debris and concrete from the site.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was deeply saddened by the tragic incident.
“My thoughts are with the affected students and their families in this difficult hour,” Modi said in a statement posted by his office on X.
“Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured. Authorities are providing all possible assistance to those affected,” the premier added.
Rajasthan state education minister Madan Dilawar announced that there would be a probe into the cause of the “very unfortunate” incident.
“I will get a high-level inquiry done today to find out why this incident happened,” Dilawar said in a statement.
He added that local authorities were making “arrangements for the treatment” of the injured students.
Government schools in India face chronic funding shortages, with students complaining of absent teachers, dilapidated buildings, and a lack of basic amenities like clean drinking water or toilets.
The situation has improved in urban areas in recent years but the pace of change in rural India still remains slow.
Earlier today, local media had reported that at least four children had been killed and 17 were injured, with dozens still feared trapped under the rubble.
A local police officer, who declined to be named, told Reuters the school building was old and the roof might have fallen in as a result of heavy rainfall in the region.
“There were 25-30 children in the room when the roof fell after the morning prayers,” Rajasthan education minister, Madan Dilawar, told AajTak news channel.
Visuals from news channels showed locals gathered around the site of the collapse. Distressed family members could be heard crying as authorities used a crane to remove the debris.
Local media reported that 32 students had been pulled out safely, but rescue operations were ongoing.
“Instructions have been given to the concerned authorities to ensure proper treatment for the injured children,” Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma said on X.
Some of the injured children were critical, local police officer Amit Kumar told the PTI news agency, according to the Economic Times newspaper.
