Coconut tree falls on school, three students critical

G Sirisena, Dickwella Special Corr

Five grade 3 students attached to Wehella Maha Vidyalaya, Dickwella were injured and admitted to Dickwella District Hospital when a coconut tree got uprooted and fell on a classroom severely damaging its roof and walls on Wednesday morning.

Three of the injured (two girls and a boy) were later transferred to the Matara General Hospital in a critical condition. Dickwella police investigating the incident said a major tragedy was averted since the uprooted tree came to rest on a broken wall without completely falling on the ground. The students were injured by parts of tiles and splinters of beams and rafters of the roof blown by the tree's impact.