Two school girls killed in wall collapse in Odisha

Two minor girls were killed and one injured when the parapet of a hostel building of a government-run residential school collapsed in Odisha's Kandhamal district, officials said Monday.

The mishap occurred at the premises of Sevashram school at Bastingia, 230 km from state capital Bhubaneswar Sunday when around 40 students were sitting on the verandah of the girls' hostel for meals.

The parapet which was in a dilapidated condition came crashing down on them leaving little scope for the victims to escape.

School authorities and local residents retrieved the victims from the debris within few minutes of the incident and rushed them to a hospital.

"Total three students of class 7th aged between 12-13 years were injured. While one of them died on the spot, another died on her way to the hospital. The condition of the third victim is stable and she is undergoing treatment," N. Thirumala Naik, district collector, told IANS.

The victims who died were identified as Sasmita Kanhar and Anupama Pradhan, Naik said.

The authorities have directed the concerned officials to verify the condition of all school buildings and hostels in the district and submit a report as soon as possible, he added.