Tree falls on class and leaves 15 youngsters injured and instructor ‘bleeding’
The freak accident happened in a school in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, and firefighters and parents rushed to the scene to help prevent any more damage
A staggering 15 children were left injured after a freak accident when a tree fell into a fifth grade classroom in a public school in Ecuador.
The kids – who were aged between 10 and 11 years old – were attending classes as usual within the school when the accident occurred on Tuesday (December 9) afternoon at the Manuela Cañizares Educational Unit, in the capital city of Quito.
According to witness there at the time, the tree branches suddenly gave way and the tree fell through the roof and collapsed on to the children.
The incident caused widespread panic inside the classroom and multiple injuries.
Initial medical reports said that none of the injuries sustained were serious; however, one parent claimed that when the teacher was brought outside, they were bleeding.
The huge crash caused by the tree alerted the rest of the school and the neighbours who came running out to see what had happened.
One parent said: “They brought the teacher in bleeding.” Several teachers and students were also treated for shock.
Strong winds have been recorded in the area that afternoon and local authorities said the tree was likely to have collapsed as a result of the weather.
One of the rescuers, firefighter Carlos de la A. said that the children in the classroom didn’t suffer from any major injuries.
He said: “Luckily, there were only minor bumps and bruises and a lot of fright . ”
Parents rushed to the school as soon as they heard what had happened and were relieved to find out nothing more serious had occurred.
One parent, who was waiting for information about his son, said: “Thank God it wasn’t worse; there was a lot of anxiety about what happened.”
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