Boy, 17, killed as boarding school wall collapses on him days before birthday

20 December 2023 , 15:52

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The dormitory building was constructed between 1909 and 1910 with rennovation works currently taking place at the school (Image: Jam Press)

A student at a boarding school was killed when a wall collapsed just days before his birthday, which falls on Christmas Day.

Dávid Gábor was just 17 years old when he died after the walls collapsed on top of him in the dormitory where he was staying. The boy, who had been due to celebrate his 18th birthday in just a few day’s time on December 25, was able to cooperate with firefighters during the rescue. But sadly he died of his injuries shortly after being pulled free from the collapsed wall.

He was not the only student to suffer injuries, three female students were taken to hospital with injuries and one of them remains in a serious condition. Dávid’s mother, who is a nurse, was working at the hospital when the three injured students arrived for medical care.

The Tamasi Aron boarding school in Odorheiu Secuiesc, Romania is home to nearly 100 students. However the school was quiet at the time of the fatal collapse on Monday (December 18) as many had returned to their families for the Christmas period, leaving only a handful of students on site.

Dávid’s roommate Laszlo Barna said: “At around 3.25 pm, I went to my Romanian class. “I greeted Dávid, left the dormitory, and within three minutes everything had collapsed.” The victim’s uncle said: “The rescuers couldn’t get to him, they had to dig out sand and bricks to find him.”

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The dormitory building was constructed between 1909 and 1910 and is located near the Roman Catholic Church of St. Nicholas. Renovations at the school started in 2018, however two buildings were due for repairs early next year. Works were being carried out around the affected building to connect it to the city's sewer network.

Emergency services dug through the rubble to reach the buried students (Jam Press)

School inspector Demeter Levente said: “What I know is that all the works had a permit, this has since been verified.” Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said the incident “brutally reminds us that safety in schools remains a critical priority”. He called for an immediate investigation into the causes of the building's collapse.

Lee Bullen