Chandigarh: Student killed, 18 injured after tree falls on them inside school complex

A student was killed and 18 of her school mates sustained injuries after an old tree fell on them inside a school complex here on Friday, officials said.

A staff attendant of the institution, Carmel Convent School in Chandigarh's sector 9 area, also sustained injuries, they said.

Police and fire department officials reached the spot within 10 minutes of the accident, and the injured were taken to a government multi-speciality hospital in sector 16 and to PGIMER, while some were taken to Fortis hospital in Mohali.

Sources at the PGIMER said one student, aged around 16, was declared brought dead at the hospital.

The condition of most of the injured was stable.

According to eyewitnesses, there was panic in the school complex after the tree, declared a ''heritage'' by the administration, suddenly collapsed.

Home Secretary, Chandigarh Administration, Nitin Yadav said most students of senior classes were having their lunch when the incident took place.

''The incident was reported at 11:10 am. It was an old peepal tree, a kind of a heritage tree. Injuries to 19 students and a staff attendant were reported in the incident. We have confirmation of a child's death in the incident,'' Yadav told reporters at the incident site.

The all-girls school is one of the oldest in Chandigarh.

Out of the total injured, 11 have suffered minor injuries and were being treated at GMSH in sector 16, and they will be discharged after medical examination, an official statement later said.

Four students who also suffered minor injuries went to two private hospitals in Mohali and Chandigarh, and were reported to be stable.

The statement said among the total injured students, two suffered fractures, and on request from parents, one of them was referred to PGIMER for further management.

Some parents who rushed to the school after the incident said the peepal tree was an old one, stated to be around 250 years old and 70 feet tall.

At the incident site, a half-eaten apple and other food items lay scattered as the children got very little time to react when the giant tree came crashing down.

Horticulture department officials later began removing the tree from the spot. It also damaged a portion of the school's boundary wall. The tree was located close to the school's entry gate.

Most of the students present at the spot at the time of the incident were in the age group of 13-17 years and had gathered near the tree for their lunch break, Yadav said.

A magisterial probe has been ordered into the incident, he said. Yadav also visited the school along with Chandigarh Deputy Commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh and other senior officials.

A three-member committee set up to conduct the probe has been asked to submit a report within one week. The panel comprises the SDM (Central) of the Union territory of Chandigarh, executive engineer of horticulture, and the range forest officer of the Chandigarh forest department.

Reacting to the incident, Chandigarh MP Kirron Kher tweeted, ''A very heart-wrenching incident of a tree falling at Carmel Convent School Chandigarh. My condolences to the bereaved families and I pray for a speedy recovery of the injured.'' Yadav said the incident happened when the children were having lunch.

''We were told that some children were having their food there. The lunch break for junior classes had ended, and at the time of the incident, students from senior classes in the age group of 13-17 were present,'' said the home secretary.

Rajinder, whose daughter studies at the school, told reporters that parents received phone calls from the institution informing them about the incident.

He said his daughter was safe.

Another parent, who rushed to the school after the incident, said the tree had been declared a ''heritage'' by the administration, and it was their duty to see if it was in a healthy state.

He said there were many old trees in Chandigarh which were vulnerable and could fall any time, and the administration should immediately screen all such trees.

Home Secretary Yadav said that a committee would inspect all trees in and around various schools in Chandigarh and take appropriate measures if any tree was found vulnerable.

Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya said he was deeply shocked over the incident.

''Prayers for the safety and well being of all children,'' Dattatreya tweeted.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was also among those who reacted to the incident.

''Deeply distressed to hear about the accident in a private school in Chandigarh. An innocent child lost his life while several are injured. I extend my deepest condolences to the family of the deceased child & also pray for the speedy recovery of those injured,'' Mann tweeted.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar too expressed condolences to the bereaved family.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)