Emergency response after pipeline rupture endangers schoolgirls in Bihar

A catastrophic gas leak on a PNG pipeline in Muzaffarpur district prompted an urgent emergency response after seven schoolgirls from Rahua High School collapsed on the road. The rupture happened while a JCB was excavating for a new drainage channel run by BUDCO, damaging the underground pipe and releasing hazardous gas. First responders from Musahri Primary Health Centre stabilised two of the girls on site. The other five – identified as Nahida Khatun, Amrita Kumari, Rakhi Kumari, Divya Kumari and Vishakha Kumari – were air‑lifted to Shri Krishna Medical College and Hospital for further care. Police, district officials and Indian Oil engineers arrived promptly to contain the leak and launch an investigation into the construction practices that led to the accident.