Kendrapada: A 13-year-old girl died after she suddenly collapsed inside the classroom at Kamala Model Girls’ High School in Odisha’s Kendrapada district on Monday.
According to sources, the incident took place at the school located in Ayatan village under the jurisdiction of Rajkanika police station in the district.
The deceased, identified as Bishwarupa Behera of Class VIII, was a resident of Mahadeadia village.
While the exact cause of death is yet to be established, school authorities said the girl was suspected to have suffered a cardiac arrest.
The girl reached school around 10 am and collapsed shortly afterwards when science class was underway. Teachers rushed to her aid and attempted to revive the girl and later took her to the community health centre (CHC) at Rajkanika, where doctors declared her dead.
Police subsequently sent the body to the district headquarters hospital in Kendrapada for a postmortem examination. The exact cause of death is yet to be ascertained and a clear picture is likely to emerge after the autopsy report is received, police sources said.
The girl’s parents and other relatives, however, questioned the emergency response and alleged that timely cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was not provided.
The school authorities did not immediately take the girl to hospital and instead informed the family about her condition, girl’s mother, Sushree Sangita Behera alleged.
The family also sought steps to examine CCTV footage from the school to ascertain the circumstances that led to the incident.