Eight schoolgirls were seriously injured after jumping from a first-floor classroom in panic, mistaking the vibrations and sounds of a road roller for an earthquake in Pakistan’s Punjab province, Rescue 1122 said on Wednesday.

The incident occurred on Tuesday in Jahanian, Khanewal district, approximately 350 kilometres from Lahore.

According to Rescue 1122, the students, aged between 12 and 14, were present in class at the Government Girls High School Jahanian when they felt strong vibrations and heard a thunderous noise caused by a road roller operating near the school as part of road construction work.

With no teacher present in the classroom, the students became alarmed, believing an earthquake was occurring and that the roof might collapse. While many students rushed downstairs, eight of them, overcome by fear, jumped out of the first-floor window, sustaining serious injuries.

The injured students were immediately rushed to a nearby hospital, where the condition of three was reported to be critical.

Laiba Kulsoom, who suffered injuries to her arm and leg, recalled the chaotic scene in a talk with her family in hospital.

“There were around 20 of us in the classroom when we felt the tremors and heard the loud noise. We thought it was an earthquake and that the roof might cave in. In the panic, I saw some girls jumping out of the window, and I followed them,” he said.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has taken notice of the incident and directed health authorities to ensure the injured girls receive the best possible medical care.

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