Today evening at 4 pm, the partly-demolished historic Hannah House within the premises of Serampore Mission Girls High School collapsed, creating much panic among the students.
Six traumatized students were rushed to hospital. After their recovery they were handed over to their respective parents.
The headmistress of the Serampore Mission Girls High School, Sonali Chatterjee said, “Around 4 pm, while I was busy in office work, I was taken aback by a thundering sound and trembling of the school building. We rushed out and found a cloud of dust enveloping the entire school area. A large portion of the partly-demolished historic Hannah House had collapsed. The primary section and some classes of senior sections are held at the back of the Hannah House.”
The partly-demolished Hannah House is posing a great threat to the safety and security of the students. The school headmistress expressed her great concern on it, saying, “Had the incident taken place when the primary section was running in full swing, hundreds of students would have been seriously injured. In rooms 11, 12 and 13, which are adjacent to the Hannah House and where the higher classes are held, today the girls were practicing cultural activities for the ensuing Independence Day in those rooms.”
In 2023, a portion of the abandoned Hannah House was brought down by bulldozers. A storm of protests erupted and the demolishing work was stopped.
As headmistress, I have repeatedly drawn the attention of the local and district administration towards the dangerous state of Hannah House which is posing life threat to the primary section as well as higher section, but in vain, said the headmistress.