Landslide buries school,at least 18 children dead

At least 18 children,all below the age of 10,died this morning after a landslide triggered by a cloudburst struck a primary school building ...

At least 18 children,all below the age of 10,died this morning after a landslide triggered by a cloudburst struck a primary school building in the hills of Bageshwar in Uttarakhand. Thirty students and two teachers were in the school at the time of the incident.

Eight injured children have been pulled out of the debris but the teachers are still missing. Heavy rainfall was hampering rescue work.

The school,Saraswati Shishu Mandir,is located on a hill slope in Sumgarh village in Kapkot tehsil of Bageshwar district.

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The classrooms bore the brunt of the landslide. Around 8.30 am,when the children were waiting for the teachers,there was a crack of thunder and then a landslide. Within seconds,the classrooms were buried.

It took the authorities a few hours to mount a rescue operation as a link road to the school had been swept away in the landslide. By then,parents and villagers had rushed to the spot,digging in the rubble to look for the children.

Officials and rescue workers reached the site after walking more than six miles. A bridge on the route had collapsed and rescue workers used ropes to cross over.

Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank announced relief of Rs 1 lakh each to the families of the dead.

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Heavy rainfall has disrupted communication lines in the area. The ITBP has been pressed into service. Bad weather has prevented the use of helicopters for rescue work.