8-Year-Old Boy Dead After Ceiling Of School Bathroom Collapses On Him

An 8-year-old schoolboy has been reported dead after the ceiling of his school's bathroom collapsed on him in Champawat district, Uttarakhand, India on Wednesday, Sept. 14.

The deceased boy, identified only as 8-year-old Chandan, a student studying third grade at Maunkande Primary School, and his friends Soni, Rinku, and Shaguni, all aged eight, were reportedly playing near the bathroom of the government primary school. However, while they were playing, the roof of the washroom, which was already damaged, collapsed and fell on the students, Indian Express reported.

Chandan, who suffered grievous injuries in the incident, died on the spot. Meanwhile, the three other students were also injured but ultimately survived the incident.

Concerned parents claimed that they had already complained to the school administration regarding the dilapidated condition of its building before the tragedy. However, despite the complaints, the school authorities allegedly did not take any interest and ignored the complaint, Hindustan Times reported.

“Had our complaints been heard, the life of a minor could have been saved,” said Godhan Singh, the guardian of one of the injured students.

Following the tragic incident, Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced a relief amount of US$2,507 (200000 Indian Rupees) to the family of the deceased student.

Dhami expressed grief over the incident and ordered a magisterial probe into it. In addition to this, Dhami insisted that schools should only be run in safe buildings and ordered that all school buildings should have their conditions examined and that repairs should be made where necessary.

In a similar but unrelated incident, a 7-year-old schoolgirl reportedly died after a portion of her school's washroom wall collapsed on her in Bilaspur City, Chhattisgarh, India on Tuesday, Jan. 4, Latin Times reported.

The 7-year-old victim, a student of class 2 studying at a private school in the Gitanjali City Phase-2 area in Chattisgarh, reportedly went to use the school washroom alone at around noon on Tuesday, Jan. 4. However, when she entered the room, a portion of the partition wall collapsed on her, crushed her to death, and killed her.

The victim reportedly suffered severe head injuries in the accident, with the school's teachers immediately rushing her to the Chhattisgarh Institute of Medical Sciences (CIMS) Hospital for treatment. However, the victim was declared dead upon arrival at the facility.

Following the incident, the school director was reportedly taken into custody by the police for negligence.