India: School children killed in Rajasthan as roof collapses – DW – 07/25/2025
At least seven children have been killed and two critically injured as the roof of a school building partially collapsed in India's western state of Rajasthan on Friday.
The news was reported by several Indian outlets, including the newspaper and television channel NDTV.
The incident occurred at the Piplodi Government School around 8:30 a.m. local time (0300 GMT), according to NDTV's report.
It cited officials saying around 40 children, in addition to teachers and staff members, were inside when the roof of class six and seven of the one-story building collapsed.
"Seven children have lost their lives so far and 26 others are injured," Nand Kishore, a senior police officer in the state of Rajasthan, told AFP. Two of those children are critically injured and in the intensive care unit.
All students were between the ages of eight and 11.
Eyewitnesses told the media that the roof suddenly caved in due to persistent heavy rainfall over the past few days and that the building had been in a dilapidated state.
Rescue operations conducted through the morning were completed by the afternoon. State leaders announced that an investigation was to be conducted to determine the reason of the collapse.
Initial visuals from other news agencies showed locals gathered around the debris, helping rescuers to clear it.
In a post on X, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma commented on the "heart-wrenching" incident.
"Instructions have been given to the concerned authorities to ensure proper treatment for the injured children," he said.
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