Student dies after being pushed off roof during safety drill
Video footage shows girl being pushed off the second floor ledge after she hesitated to jump

A 19 year-old woman has died during a mock disaster drill at an Indian college in which students were made to jump from a building.
A video of the incident shows the girl, identified as N. Logeshwari, appearing to hesitate on the ledge of the second floor building at Coimbatore college in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu on Thursday. Eyewitnesses allege the girl was not willing to jump off the ledge into a net held below, according to India Today. The drill instructor trainer pushed her and she fell, hitting her head on the floor below. She was pronounced dead on arrival at a nearby hospital.
Initial reports of the tragedy said that the mock exercise was organised by India’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). “As part of the drill, the NDMA personnel had asked the boys and girls to jump from the second floor,” police said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
However, in a bizarre twist, the NDMA distanced itself from the incident, saying that it had not authorised any drill at the college, The Hindu reports.
Coimbatore superintendant of police Pa Moorthy said that he had been the video which appears to show the trainer pushing the girl, according to New Indian Express.“After inquiring with the students, the trainer will be booked under appropriate sections of the Indian Penal Code,” he said.
The Hindu reports that two special police teams have been formed to investigate the incident.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'"Andor" examines all sides of how empires operate'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
DHS chief Kristi Noem's purse stolen from eatery
Speed Read Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's purse was stolen while she dined with family at a restaurant in Washington, D.C.
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Harvard sues Trump over frozen grant money
Speed Read The Trump administration withheld $2.2 billion in federal grants and contracts after Harvard rejected its demands
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designation
The Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
By Abby Wilson
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical
By The Week Staff
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK