5 students dead, around 17 injured as school building collapses in Rajasthan

A portion of a government school building collapsed in Rajasthan's Jhalawar district on Friday, 25 July, leaving five children dead and 17 others injured, police said.

The children at the Peeplodi Government School in Manoharthana block of the district were preparing for morning prayers when the incident took place.

"Four children have died and 17 others are injured. Ten children have been referred to Jhalawar out of which three to four are critical,” superintendent of police, Jhalawar, Amit Kumar told PTI.

According to eyewitnesses and local villagers, over 50 students were present in the classrooms when the roof suddenly caved in due to persistent heavy rainfall over the past few days. The sound of the collapse was followed by screams and confusion as dust and debris engulfed the area.

Police said the children were pulled out of the debris with the help of teachers and villagers.

Education minister Madan Dilawar said a high-level inquiry will be conducted into the incident.

He directed officials to rush to the spot and ensure that the children get proper treatment.

"A very unfortunate incident occurred in Piplodi village in Jhalawar where roof of a school collapsed. I have instructed district collector and education officer to make all kinds of arrangements for treatment. The collector and other officers have reached the spot," he said.

"I will get a high-level inquiry done to find out why this incident happened, " the minister said.

Without waiting for help, villagers and school staff immediately began rescue efforts, manually clearing debris to pull out the trapped children. The injured students were rushed to the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Manoharthana using private vehicles, with many of them reportedly in serious condition.

The exact number of casualties is yet to be confirmed.

Circle inspector at Manhorethana police station in Jhalawar, Nandkishore, said two of the critically injured students were referred to a specialised health centre while six are under treatment at the SRG hospital.

At least 27 students were studying in the upper primary school in Piplod village, station house officer at Dangipura police station Vijendra Singh said.

Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot hoped for the speedy recovery of the injured students.

"There are reports of many children and teachers getting injured due to the collapse of a government school building in Jhalawar's Manoharthana. I pray to God for minimum loss of life and speedy recovery of the injured, " he said on X.