What happened here
Cause not yet confirmed; the school suspects cardiac arrest, and the doctor at the community health centre says the cause is unknown until the post-mortem. Lesson: schools should train at least two staff in CPR and first aid, and rehearse who calls, who stays and who takes the child. A 13-year-old Class 8 girl collapsed during the science class at a girls' high school at Ayatan village, Rajkanika police station area, Kendrapara district, Odisha, on Monday 9 November 2026 and was declared dead at Rajkanika CHC. The New Indian Express says she reached school at 10 am and collapsed shortly afterwards, that teachers tried to revive her and that the school says it suspects a cardiac arrest. The headmistress told the paper she was teaching the class when it happened and that the parents were informed and the girl was rushed to hospital by ambulance. The CHC's medical officer said the body was sent to Kendrapara district headquarters hospital for post-mortem and the cause is not known. The girl's mother alleged that the school did not take her daughter to hospital at once and that timely CPR was not given, and the parents asked for the CCTV footage. The Statesman reports a School and Mass Education Department inquiry and says she was first taken to a medicine shop. We give no name. Figures are from the reports opened on 10 November 2026 (IST) and may change.
Quick answers
What happened at the school in Rajkanika?
A 13-year-old Class 8 girl collapsed during a science class on 9 November 2026 and was declared dead at the CHC.
What caused her death?
It is not known; the school suspects cardiac arrest and the post-mortem is awaited.
Why is the family unhappy?
The mother says the school did not take her to hospital at once and no timely CPR was given; the school says it rushed her by ambulance.
What should a school do when a child collapses?
Call 108, start chest compressions if the child is not breathing normally, and go to the nearest hospital. See: How to Do CPR: Hands-Only CPR in 3 Steps
Is there a Kendrapara safety guide?
Not yet; this case shows one is needed.
What happened
On Monday 9 November 2026 a 13-year-old Class 8 girl collapsed during the first-period science class at a girls’ high school at Ayatan village, in the Rajkanika police station area of Kendrapara district, Odisha. The New Indian Express says she reached school at 10 am and collapsed shortly afterwards. Teachers tried to revive her and she was taken to Rajkanika Community Health Centre, where doctors declared her dead.
The school says it suspects a cardiac arrest. The CHC’s medical officer told the paper the cause is not known and that the body was sent to the district headquarters hospital in Kendrapara for post-mortem.
What the reports say
- Dead: one: a 13-year-old girl (New Indian Express, OTV, The Statesman). We give no name.
- School’s account: the headmistress says she was teaching the class, the parents were informed and the girl was rushed to the CHC by ambulance.
- Family’s account: the mother says the school did not take her daughter to hospital at once and no timely CPR was given; the parents asked for the CCTV footage to be examined.
- Official response: the School and Mass Education Department has started an inquiry (The Statesman); the headmistress filed a complaint and a police team visited (Rajkanika IIC, via New Indian Express).
Where reports differ and what we do not know
- Cause: suspected cardiac arrest (the school); not known (the CHC doctor) until the post-mortem.
- Delay and CPR: the family alleges delay and no timely CPR; the school says it rushed her by ambulance; The Statesman says she was first taken to a local medicine shop, which is not confirmed.
- School’s name: Kamala Model Girls’ High School (New Indian Express, OdishaBytes) or Kamala Adarsha Girls’ High School (OTV, The Statesman).
- Time: she reached school at 10 am (New Indian Express); the mother says a teacher called her at about 10.40 to 10.50 am (OTV).
- Not known: what caused the collapse, how long she waited and whether CPR was tried.
What this case teaches
A child can collapse in any classroom, and the minutes that follow decide the outcome. This is not a finding about the school or the teachers, who are described as trying to revive her; the cause is not known. It is a reason for every school to have two staff trained in CPR, a first-aid box and an ambulance number at hand, and for every parent to ask about it. See our guides to hands-only CPR and bystander CPR in India, and the Mayur Vihar school girl collapse in East Delhi case.
- The girl reaches school; she collapses shortly afterwards in the first-period science class (New Indian Express)
- Teachers try to revive her; she is taken to Rajkanika CHC, where doctors declare her dead; the parents are called (New Indian Express; OTV)
- The body is sent to Kendrapara district headquarters hospital for post-mortem; police visit the school; the headmistress files a complaint
- The family asks for CCTV footage and questions CPR and delay; the department starts an inquiry (The Statesman; New Indian Express)
- The New Indian Express (10 November), OTV, OdishaBytes and The Statesman carry the accounts
Why consequences escalated
- A 13-year-old Class 8 girl collapsed in a science class at a girls' high school in Rajkanika, Kendrapara, on 9 November 2026 and was declared dead at the CHC.
- The school suspects cardiac arrest; the cause is not known until the post-mortem.
- The family questions whether CPR was given and whether she was taken to hospital at once; the school says she was rushed by ambulance.
- A department inquiry has started.
Failures and risk multipliers
- No official finding exists. What the reports raise as questions:
- Whether anyone at the school knew CPR, and whether any attempt was made before the girl was moved.
- How long it took to call the ambulance and reach the CHC, and whether she was taken to a medicine shop first.
- Whether the school has an emergency plan, a first-aid kit, an AED and a tie-up with the nearest hospital.
- These are open questions, not findings of fault; the family's loss is not the story.
Actions that reduce risk
- Schools: train at least two staff members in CPR and first aid, keep a first-aid box, a stretcher and the 108 and local hospital numbers at the staff table, and rehearse who calls, who stays and who takes the child.
- If a child collapses and is not breathing normally: call for help, start chest compressions at once, and do not wait to move the child or to call the family; call 108 first.
- Do not take a collapsed child to a medicine shop; go to the nearest hospital with an emergency unit, by ambulance if possible.
- Parents: ask the school how it handles a medical emergency and share any known heart condition in writing.
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