Three schoolchildren were injured when the ceiling of the verandah abutting their classroom on the premises of the Mandal Parishad Primary School building collapsed at Edira village in Venkatapuram mandal of the tribal majority Mulugu district on Thursday.
The incident occurred when three schoolchildren of Classes II and III were playing in the verandah in front of additional classrooms during the lunch break. The trio suffered minor injuries, sources said.
The verandah’s ceiling was reportedly on account of seepage of water during heavy rains that lashed the village last month.
According to sources, the block comprising the verandah was constructed nearly a decade ago beside the old school building.
All the three injured students were shifted to a hospital in Eturunagaram. Their condition was stated to be stable.
The incident drew flak from parents, who blamed it on “poor maintenance” of the school building and “lack” of proper repairs.