Naina Mishra
Chandigarh, July 9
A large number of city residents, including friends and family members, today bade a tearful adieu to Heerakshi, the Class X student of Carmel Convent School, Chandigarh, who was killed when a tree split and fell on students during recess yesterday.
She was cremated at the Sector 25 cremation ground where heart-wrenching scenes were witnessed. The parents of the 16-year-old student were shattered at the loss of their younger daughter. "How will I live without my Heera? She gets scared when left alone," said her mother.
Her friends and school fellows were consoling each other as they attended Heerakshi's cremation. "Had the recess bell rang three minutes early, our friends could have been saved. As soon as the tree fell, the recess bell rang. It was just a matter of seconds," students shared.
The teachers said some students were in a state of shock after the incident and were not speaking to anyone. They would be counselled.
Jia couldn't stop herself from attending the cremation of her best childhood friend to see her for one last time. She skipped school on the fateful day. "We are a group of around six friends and would always sit under that giant tree for lunch. This is just so unbelievable. She was a really good friend and I have lots of memories of her. We celebrated birthdays together," she said.
Jia's mother, Ishmeet, said, "I did not send my daughter to the school yesterday and I can't tell why I did so. They used to be together all the time. Heerakshi had been consulting everybody whether to take standard maths or advanced maths for this year's board exams. She was indeed a bright student."
Meanwhile, MP Kirron Kher and Mayor Sarbjit Kaur also attended the cremation and expressed their condolences to the bereaved family.
'Skipped Shimla trip'
Heerakshi's parents wanted her to go with them on a trip to Shimla but she refused as she wanted to attend school. Her parents were away when the incident happened.
Students sounded alert
"I was standing at some distance when some students sounded an alert as the tree started coming off. There were around four students who ran to safety but others could not. Those who were trapped under the tree shouted for ambulance," a student shared.
3 minutes to recess bell
"Had the recess bell rang three minutes early, our friends could have been saved. It was just a matter of seconds," said some students of the school.
from The Tribune https://ift.tt/EHjxfeu
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