Lahore: Eight schoolgirls were seriously injured after jumping from a first-floor classroom, mistaking the sound and vibrations of a road roller for an earthquake, according to Rescue 1122.
The incident occurred on Tuesday in Jahanian, a town in Khanewal district, located around 350 kilometers from Lahore in Pakistan’s Punjab province.
Rescue officials reported that the girls, aged 12 to 14, were attending class at the Government Girls High School in Jahanian when the situation unfolded.
8 Pakistani Girls Mistake Road Roller for Earthquake
During road construction near the school, the operation of a heavy road roller caused loud noises and strong vibrations.
The students, unfamiliar with the source of the disturbance, believed it was an earthquake and panicked.
With no teacher present in the classroom at the time to guide or reassure them, the students became overwhelmed with fear, imagining that the roof might collapse.
While most of the students managed to run downstairs to safety, eight girls, frightened and disoriented, chose to jump out of the first-floor window in an attempt to escape what they perceived as imminent danger.
The injured girls were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. Among them, three are in critical condition, and medical staff are closely monitoring their progress.
One of the injured students, Laiba Kulsoom, who sustained injuries to her arm and leg, described her terrifying experience to her family from her hospital bed.
Authorities are investigating the incident and reviewing whether adequate safety measures and teacher supervision were in place at the time of the accident.
“There were around 20 of us in the classroom when we felt the tremors and heard the loud noise. We thought it was an earthquake and that the roof might cave in. In the panic, I saw some girls jumping out of the window, and I followed them,” he said.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has taken notice of the incident and instructed health officials to provide the best care for the injured girls.
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