A fire broke at the Niaz Mohammad High School in Brahmanbaria city on Wednesday afternoon, leaving at least 25 injured.
Brahmanbaria Sadar Model Police Station OC Muzaffar Hossain said the blaze originated in the science lab on the third floor of the building in the afternoon. However, he could ascertain the cause.
According to eyewitnesses, the panicked students were injured while running downstairs as the railing of the stairs broke.
Md Samiul Huda, medical officer of the Brahmanbaria 250-bed General Hospital, said that about 25 students received treatment in total.
Five were admitted to the hospital. Three of them are 14 years old while one is 15 and another 13.
In addition, a 15-year-old boy was sent to Dhaka for advanced treatment.
Akash, an eighth-grader who witnessed the incident, said, "The students were working on a project in the science lab. When we were starting the project and connecting electricity, a fire suddenly broke out. Seeing the fire, everyone ran down and some were injured in the fracas.
Jamal Uddin, a math teacher, added, "A science fair will be held in the district in a few days. So, the students were working on a project on the third floor of the school. They accidentally started a fire while working in the lab. The students were shouting 'fire, fire'.
"Since all classes were in session at that time, the students downstairs were terrified by the screams of the students upstairs. While running out, some students were injured when the railing of the stairs broke. Later, the teachers rescued them and took them to the hospital."
Principal Md Shahidul Haque said, "The teachers brought injured students to the hospital. However, it is not yet possible to say how the fire started."
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