Watch: 162 students rescued from submerged school in Jharkhand after heavy rains

Heavy rains in Jharkhand caused flooding in a private residential school in the East Singhbhum district, trapping at least 162 students since Saturday night. The incident was reported from a school located at Pandarsoli on the Haldipokhar-Kowali Road.

According to a senior officer, the school building was submerged due to heavy rain, and therefore, the teachers shifted all the students to the rooftop, where they spent the night.

“We received information that 162 students of Lav Kush Residential School were trapped as the school premises were inundated due to heavy rain. As the school building was submerged, the teachers shifted all the students to the rooftop, where they spent the night,” the official said.

At around 5.30 AM on Sunday, police officers and fire brigade teams rushed to the spot and rescued the students “one by one with the help of villagers,” Superintendent of Police (Rural) Rishabha Garg said.

Garg shared that boats were used for the rescue operation while the NDRF was requisitioned. However, he said, the police team rescued the students before the NDRF team's arrival.

“The school has been closed till further notice,” he said.

Local students were sent to their homes while the district administration was making arrangements to send other students to their respective homes across the district, including Dumaria, Ghatshila, Musabani and Jamshedpur, Paswan added.

In view of the weather department's warning, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Sunday asked the officials of the disaster management department and district administrations to remain alert.

“The weather department has issued a warning of heavy rainfall in the districts of the state for the next few days. The disaster management department and all district administrations should maintain constant coordination with the weather department and other agencies, remain alert, and work to provide assistance to the public in all situations,” Soren posted on X.

The district administrations of East Singhbhum and Kharswan-Kharswan sounded an alert regarding the possibility of a sudden increase in the water level in the rivers Kharkhai and Subarnarekha and the release of water from Rairangpur dam in Odisha.

East Singhbhum Deputy Commissioner Karn Satyarthi has thus appealed to the people living in the catchment areas of the rivers Kharkhai and Subarnarekha to be alert and follow the administration's advisory in case of a sudden surge in the rivers.

(With PTI inputs)