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One dead after boarding school collapses in Romania

Firefighters searched for survivors in the rubble.

Firefighters search for survivors (Romanian Emergency Services – ISU Harghita/AP)
Firefighters search for survivors (Romanian Emergency Services – ISU Harghita/AP) (AP)

A boarding school building partially collapsed in Romania on Monday, leaving one person dead and three injured, authorities said.

Emergency workers worked to find the four people in the rubble of the collapse in Odorheiu Secuiesc, the general inspectorate for emergency situations said.

All were recovered. Of the three survivors, one was seriously injured.

One person died when the school collapsed (Romanian Emergency Services – ISU Harghita/AP)
One person died when the school collapsed (Romanian Emergency Services – ISU Harghita/AP) (AP)

“The fourth victim did not respond to resuscitation efforts,” authorities said.

They did not say what caused the collapse.

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Photos of the scene from the emergency authorities showed a collapsed portion of an old building’s facade.

Wooden beams and pillars were strewn amid rubble of bricks and mortar.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis offered his condolences to the family of the dead person and said the tragedy was “a stark reminder that school safety remains a critical priority”.

“The places where children spend most of their time must provide protection and be brought up to current safety standards,” he said in a post on Facebook.

Mr Iohannis called for the cause of the collapse to be determined quickly and for those found responsible to be punished.