Teen collapses in Nerul school, dies

Soumiya Bhatnagar, a Class 10 student, resided in sector 18, Nerul, with his family, and had been absent at school for the past few days as he allegedly had high fever, said the police.

A 15-year-old student of Podar International School, Nerul, died after he collapsed on the school premises on Friday.

A medical officer from DY Patil Hospital said Bhatnagar was already dead when he was brought to the hospital. (Representative image)

Soumiya Bhatnagar, a Class 10 student, resided in sector 18, Nerul, with his family, and had been absent at school for the past few days as he allegedly had high fever, said the police. Tanvir Shaikh, senior inspector of NRI police station, which has registered an accidental death report, said the teenager may have suffered an epileptic heart attack, though they are yet to receive the medical reports.

“On Friday, Bhatnagar came to school after six days. Around 8am, when he was sitting in front of a computer in the lab, he suddenly collapsed,” said an official from the school. “The other students raised an alarm and our in-house nurses examined him. We informed his parents and rushed him to a nearby private hospital. After checking him, the doctors asked us to take him to DY Patil Hospital. But within a few minutes of us and his parents reaching there, the doctors declared him dead,” he said. The official said CCTV cameras captured Bhatnagar collapsing in the computer room. “We have shown the footage to his parents and the police,” he said. The official, however, said he did not know why Bhatnagar was unwell.

A medical officer from DY Patil Hospital said Bhatnagar was already dead when he was brought to the hospital. “We were later told he was suffering from high fever for several days.”

Bhatnagar’s body was sent to NMMC Hospital, Vashi, for the post-mortem. “We have not taken statements of the school authority, the parents and family members of the student. Prima facie it appears that the youth suffered an epileptic attack. A family member said he had been suffering from fever for the past week. The medical reports are yet to come and we can’t say something more,” Shaikh said