India school roof collapse kills seven children
JHALAWAR
Part of the roof and walls of a government-run school collapsed in western India, killing at least seven children and injuring 26 others on July 25, police said.
The structure collapsed when students were attending their classes early on July 15 in Rajasthan state's Jhalawar district, around 322 kilometers south of the state capital Jaipur.
Around 60 students, teachers and staff members were in the single-story building when the accident happened, police said.
"Seven children have lost their lives so far and 26 others are injured," Nand Kishore, a local police officer, told AFP.
Villagers rushed to the site and rescued many injured children who were taken to medical facilities.
It had been raining heavily in the area over the past few days.
Local media reported the children who died were between 8 and 11 years old, while two of those injured were in critical condition.
Television footage showed heavy earth movers removing debris and concrete from the site.
The building had already been in a dilapidated condition and several complaints had been raised about it, local media said.
"This shocking incident has happened due to negligence of the administration," Balkishan, who lives close to the school, told reporters at the site.
Rajasthan state Education Minister Madan Dilawar announced that there would be a probe into the cause of the "very unfortunate" incident.
