3 die as wall crashes on boys in Tamil Nadu school

TIRUNELVELI: Three students of a government-aided school in Tirunelveli died and four others were injured when the school's toilet wall crashed on them on Friday, police said.
The incident took place around 11am during recess when several students rushed to the toilet of the 143-year-old Schaffter Higher Secondary School on S N High Road. Preliminary inquiries revealed that the wall, which did not have a foundation, could have been weakened by the recent rain.
Even as students and teachers tried to save those caught under the debris, K Anbalagan (Class IX) of Narasinganallur, T Viswaranjan (Class VIII) of Thatchanallur, and R Sudeesh (Class VI) of Pazhavoor died on the spot.The bodies were later handed over to their families after autopsy.
The injured students S Sanjay of Thatchanallur, M Isakki Prakash of Tirunelveli Town, Siekh Aboobakar Kithani of Vagaikulam and Abdullah of Kondanagaram are undergoing treatment at the Tirunelveli medical college and hospital (TVMCH). On Friday evening, school correspondent R P J Selvakumar, headmistress B V Persis Gnanaselvi and contractor John Kennedy, who built the wall, were arrested by the Tirunelveli junction police under Section 304(ii) of the IPC.
'Some victims could've been saved if rushed to hospital'
Chief minister M K Stalin announced a solatium of 10 lakh each to the families of the deceased and 3 lakh each to the injured. Hospital dean M Ravichandran said the condition of the injured was stable. Some students said the victims could have been saved if they were rushed to the hospital without waiting for an ambulance. Students also alleged that a few teachers had cars but refused to use them to save the injured boys.
Earlier in the day, some students went on a rampage damaging flowerpots, glass windows and other properties in the school. Traffic was diverted after some students resorted to a road blockade. The school will remain closed till December 26.
District collector V Vishnu visited the injured students and inquired about their health. Tirunelveli MLA Nainar Nagendran (BJP) consoled the kin of the deceased. "Preliminary assessment of the collapsed structure is being carried out by the public works department. There is prima facie evidence that one of the four walls did not have a basement. Action will be taken after technical assessment. The district administration has formed a special team to assess the condition of all the schools in the district within 48 hours and submit a report," the collector said.