Govt school building caves in, 7 students killed in Rajasthan

At least seven students died and 28 others sustained injuries after a portion of a government school building collapsed in Piplodi village of Jhalawar district of Rajasthan on Friday morning, officials aware of the matter said.

- HT Correspondents

The incident occurred around 7.45am when students of the Piplodi upper primary government school were assembling for morning prayers. Officials said that the section of the school building housing classes 6 and 7 caved in, burying around 35 children in its debris.

“Seven children have died so far,” Manoharthana police station house officer (SHO) Nandkishore Verma said. The deceased were identified as Payal (14), Priyanka (14), Harish (8), Sona Bhai (5), Mithun (11), Kartik (18) and Meena (8).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the incident. “The mishap at a school in Jhalawar, Rajasthan, is tragic and deeply saddening. My thoughts are with the affected students and their families in this difficult hour. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured,” the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a post on X.