School wall collapse kills worker

Police said none of the schoolchildren were injured in the incident as it happened during a time when all were in classrooms.

Kendriya Vidyalaya in Gol Market. (Source: Express photo by Tashi Tobgyal)

Part of a boundary wall at the Kendriya Vidyalaya in Gol Market collapsed on Thursday morning, killing one labourer working on the site and injuring two others. Police said the roots of a tree on one side of the wall had grown deep under the foundation of the wall, causing it to eventually fall. The wall was reportedly 10 feet high and 40 years old.

Three men, identified as Sandeep,35, Kamla Prasad, 50, and Dulichand, 50, sitting at a tea stall by the wall were crushed under the falling bricks. Dhulichand died later at the hospital. Sandeep and Prasad are said to be critical.

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Police said none of the schoolchildren were injured in the incident as it happened during a time when all were in classrooms.

Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani later visited the school and ordered a probe. School authorities said an enquiry into the incident has been initiated and actions will be taken against anyone responsible.

Locals said a few cracks had developed on the wall a few years back and they had informed the school authorities. “We warned them as the wall was a danger not only to the school but also to the shops. But nothing was done about it,” Sandeep, a local, said.

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