Landslide hits Uttarakhand school, 18 die

A massive landslide, triggered by a heavy monsoon downpour, demolished a school building in Uttarakhand's Bageshwar district, killing at least 18 children on Wednesday.

A massive landslide, triggered by a heavy monsoon downpour, demolished a school building in Uttarakhand's Bageshwar district, killing at least 18 children on Wednesday.

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The Shishu Mandir School building in Sungarh village, around 500 km from Dehradun, collapsed around 9 am, trapping children under the debris.

"Eighteen children are confirmed dead. Seven others were rescued with minor injuries," said Piyush Rautela, Executive Director, Disaster Management and Mitigation Centre.

The children were studying in Classes I, II and III.

"Rescue operations are hampered due to bad weather," said Kunal Sharma, Commissioner, Kumaon. The Met department had warned of heavy rainfall. More rain is predicted in the next 48 hours.