School compound wall collapses in Thiruvananthapuram

The compound wall of Government Upper Primary School, Chala, collapsed on Saturday afternoon.

There were no students at the school as it was a holiday. The headteacher who had reached the school in the morning had returned when the wall collapsed.

Drainage construction in connection with the Smart City project was under way in front of the school since before school reopening earlier this month. General Education department officials are of the view that the work could have weakened the wall, especially in the wake of the rain.

The officials said students had been entering the school through another entrance to ensure their safety.

The Mayor and others had been apprised of the situation, and an engineer from the civic body would visit the site on Monday to decide on further steps. Department officials too would visit the school, they said.

The incident comes not long after the Chief Minister and the Minister for General Education had underlined the need to ensure fitness of school buildings and structures in connection with school reopening.