One dead, 3 injured as school building's roof collapses in Jharkhand

One person was killed and three others were injured after a portion of the roof of a government school building collapsed in Jharkhand's Ranchi, amid incessant rain, police said on Friday.

Three persons trapped under the debris at the school at Tangra Toli in Piska More area were rescued and sent to a nearby hospital, an officer said.

"A person was killed when a portion of the roof of a government school building collapsed. Our team is there for the rescue operation," Sukhdeo Nagar Police Station in-charge Manoj Kumar told PTI.

The deceased was an elderly person and was sleeping in the verandah of the school when the portion of the roof collapsed.

He was identified as Suraj Baitha, 65, a resident of Ratu, and worked as a caretaker there, the officer said.

The police initially said one person was feared trapped, but later confirmed that three people were injured in the incident.

The three injured have been identified as Manish Tirkey, Pritam Tirkey and Motu Oraon, all aged between 18 and 19 years, and admitted to a nearby hospital, another officer said.

The school, said to be a primary one, was not operational, Kumar said.

The police are investigating the incident, and further details are awaited, he said.

A local resident said the school remained closed due to poor attendance by children.

Jharkhand has been experiencing heavy rainfall for the last several days.

The state has recorded 71 per cent surplus rainfall between June 1 and July 16, according to an IMD bulletin.

The eastern state received 595.8 mm of precipitation against the normal of 348.9 mm during the period.