Fire breaks out in computer lab of Thelur gov't school, 23 students hospitalised

A computer, CPU and printer exploded in the computer lab of a government high school in Thelur village, Ariyalur district on Friday, August 23.

About 23 students suffered from smoke inhalation and were admitted to Ariyalur Medical College Hospital for treatment.

A government high school has been functioning in Thelur village in Ariyalur block. The school educates around 101 students from Classes VI to X with seven teachers including a headmaster.

There is a high-tech computer lab in the school. On Friday afternoon, smoke came out due to an electrical leakage in the locked computer room.

Subsequently, a computer, CPU and printer exploded there, stated a report by The New Indian Express.

After that, a few school students opened the lab. Then, 23 students who were there were suffocated, vomited and fainted due to the smoke that came out of it.

Noting this, the teachers and villagers rushed to the spot, rescued affected 23 students and admitted them to Ariyalur Government Medical College Hospital for treatment.

Also, they informed Ariyalur firefighters about this.

On information, Transport Minister SS Sivasankar and District Collector P Rathinasamy visited the medical college hospital and met the affected students and their parents and offered condolences. All students are stable.

Also, Ariyalur MLA K Chinnappa and AIADMK Chief Government whip S Rajendran met the affected students.

Following this, the Collector Rathinasamy inspected the computer lab in Thelur government high school.

Then, he inquired in detail about the fire incident from the school principal and teachers.

Rathinasamy advised the officials to carefully monitor the functioning of electrical connections and equipment and computers in schools to prevent such accidents from occurring in the future.

He also instructed the Public Works Department officials to quickly renovate the damaged computer lab due to the fire and make it available for students' use.