Water tank collapses, 5 girls hurt

Our Correspondent

Abohar, December 13

In all, five girl students were injured, as roof of a water tank in Government High School in Shyamsinghwala village near Sriganganagar collapsed today. The injured—Pooja (14), Luxmi (13), Gayatri (12), Sheilja (15) and Preeti (13)—were taken to a nearby private hospital immediately.

Preliminary inquiry reportedly indicated that the water storage tank was declared unsafe last year and thus abandoned. However, the authorities did not demolish it.

During the lunch break (recess), some girl students were playing on the water tank’s roof and the staff reportedly didn’t intervene to stop them for playing on the unsafe structure, witnesses said. Thereafter, the roof collapsed suddenly and the students fell inside the tank. Their cries created a pandemonium in the campus, with the staff and senior students rushing in to get them out.

Parents and officials of the Education Department also reached the hospital. On Friday evening, doctors said the condition of all injured was stable, with at least three of them having sustained injuries on their face.