40 students hurt as first floor of Barabanki school collapses
BARABANKI SP DINESH KUMAR SINGH SAID THE INCIDENT TOOK PLACE AT AWADH ACADEMY SCHOOL
LUCKNOW: As many as 40 children in 8-15 age group were injured when the floor of a verandah on the first floor of a private school building collapsed in Lucknow’s adjoining Barabanki district on Friday morning, confirmed senior police officials.
Barabanki district magistrate Satyendra Kumar said around 25 injured students were undergoing treatment at Jahangirabad community health centre located merely 300 metres from the accident site while the remaining 15 students were rushed to the trauma centre of Barabanki district hospital.
He said the students were being given the best medical facility and the children trapped on the first floor were rescued.
The DM said the school had been sealed till further orders while a magisterial inquiry had been ordered to probe into the reason for the mishap. He said legal action will be initiated against the school authorities and other people responsible for the incident.
Barabanki superintendent of police (SP) Dinesh Kumar Singh said the incident took place at Awadh Academy School under Jahangirabad police station limits at around 8am when students were preparing for the morning assembly.
He said preliminary investigation revealed that the first floor caved in apparently due to overloading. As per the SP, it was quite possible that the quality of construction was not so good and many children came together on the first floor to line up for the morning assembly following which the mishap occurred.
He said the school manager and other responsible authorities, who were not found at the school after the incident, will be questioned and strictest action will be taken against them as per the findings. “The priority is to provide medical treatment to the injured students,” the SP added.
Singh said parents of the students were informed and a help desk was set up at the school and the hospital to help students reach their homes safely.
He said one more thing had come to light that the school has affiliation till Class 10, but the school authorities were taking admission and running classes till 12th standard. He said the education department authorities have been asked to give their report in this regard.