Uttar Pradesh: 24 Students Injured After School Balcony Collapses In Barabanki

The balcony of Awadh Academy School collapsed this morning leaving around 24 students injured. Villagers have attributed the mishap to poor maintenance by the school management.

Barabanki (Uttar Pradesh):Nearly 24 students were injured after the balcony of their two-storey school building collapsed on them on Friday, officials said.

Of the injured, 15 are currently undergoing treatment at the district hospital while remaining have been discharged. The district magistrate has ordered an inquiry into the school for holding classes till class 12 although it had permission to run only till class 8.

A commotion rose in Awadh Academy School under Jahangirabad police station area this morning following the incident. All the injured were rushed to the nearby hospital and later referred to the district hospital for specialised treatment. On hearing about the mishap, parents rushed to the school in panic to inquire about the wellbeing of their children.

There are about 400 students in the school. An examination was scheduled on Friday and prior to which, some children were standing on the balcony while many had gathered under it on the ground floor. Suddenly, the balcony collapsed leaving several students injured.

The villagers have blamed the school management for the incident, which they alleged was a fallout of lack of proper maintenance. They said that the balcony's condition was weak but the school management neither prevented students from going there nor undertook any repair work. Also, the school had permission to run till class 8 but had enrolled students till class 12, they alleged.

District Magistrate Satyendra Kumar and Superintendent of Police Dinesh Kumar Singh have inspected the spot. The DM said that children suffered injuries after the school balcony collapsed on them and 15 of them were hospitalised while those with minor injuries have been discharged.

Meanwhile, DM Satyendra Kumar has formed a joint committee of District School Inspector and Joint Magistrate to investigate into the allegations of running classes 9 to 12 without permission.

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