A 19-year-old girl, student of a private college in Coimbatore, lost her life during a disaster management drill in school. The training programme turned into a tragedy when the girl was forced to jump from the second floor of her college building. She hit her head on the sunshade of the first floor which resulted in her death. The incident took place on Thursday evening when an ill-prepared trainer forced the girl to jump, the trainer since then  has been detained.

A video recording of the tragic incident showed the victim N. Logeswari, was reluctant to jump off from the sunshade but was nudged and pushed by the trainer as part of an emergency response drill. Logeswari was one of the 20 students being trained to jump from buildings during emergencies. A group of students were waiting on the ground with a net to catch her, but she banged her head on the sunshade, causing severe injuries claiming her life.

Watch Video: Disaster Management Drill Goes Wrong (Viewer Discretion is Advised)

Logeshwari showed signs of anxiety before the jump. Though she was caught in the rescue net being held by the students, she suffered fatal head injuries and a cut on her neck. She was immediately rushed to a private hospital nearby, but succumbed to injuries on the way. After the video went viral, the police booked the trainer, R Arumugam, for pushing the girl from the height. Authorities of the Kovai Kalaimagal College of Arts and Science in Narasipuram told the police that the drill was conducted by the National Disaster Management Authority of India (NDMAI).

As reported in The Hindu, Higher Education Minister KP Anbalagan said an inquiry would be conducted into the incident and action would be taken against those found guilty. However, Rajendra Ratnoo, Commissioner (Disaster Management), Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Agency, which functions under NDMAI, told The Hindu, that he was unaware of the training being conducted at the college. “All training sessions of the NDMAI are conducted only through the District Collector,” he said. Coimbatore superintendent of police Pa Moorthy said that the police are interrogating Arumugam, who claimed to be a trainer with the NDMAI, to check his credentials.

Logeshwari, a resident of Ration Shop Street in Nathegoundenpudur near Alandurai, was the sixth in line to perform the task which turned fatal. After administering first aid, doctors at a private hospital referred her to the State-run Coimbatore Medical College Hospital, where she was declared ‘brought dead’. The police have not yet received a complaint from the victim’s parents, said Alandurai police. Nonetheless, a case would be registered against the college and the trainer for conducting the drill with ‘utter negligence and without adequate safety measures’.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 13, 2018 09:22 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).