Dormitory collapsed, Hungarian student died, three seriously injured – UPDATED

The tragedy’s victim was only 17 years old. He would have celebrated his 18th birthday at Christmas.

According to index.hu, the wall of a Székelyudvarhely (Odorheiu Secuiesc) dormitory collapsed on Monday, burying a 17-year-old boy and three girls under the rubble. The girls suffered serious injuries, but the doctors could not save the boy’s life.

Dávid Sipos would have been 18 this Christmas. Now, he rests in the cemetery of Farkaslaka, in Romania.

200 sqms of the one-storey dormitory’s wall collapsed. Authorities believe a company digging down more than two metres near the wall was responsible for the tragedy. Students said that cracks appeared on the wall of the building after the work started near the wall of the student hostel. They even felt the building was moving under their feet.

Sándor László Szilveszter, the company’s CEO, is currently in custody. Based on the investigators, he commanded workers to dig down two metres near the dormitory wall even though the architect allowed only 1.1 metres.

The CEO had not been in the dormitory and did not know there were students.

UPDATE: Foreign ministry sending HUF 5 m in emergency aid to secondary school

Hungary’s foreign ministry is sending 5 million forints (EUR 13,050) in emergency aid to the Tamási Áron Secondary School in Odorheiu Secuiesc (Székelyudvarhely), in central Romania, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Friday. A 17-year-old boy died on Monday when around one-third of the school’s student hostel collapsed after the building’s exterior wall came down. Another three girls were pulled from the rubble, one of whom was seriously injured.

The ministry is sending the aid in collaboration with the Hungary Helps humanitarian programme and Hungarian Interchurch Aid, Szijjarto said on Facebook, adding that the money will go towards supporting the students affected by the tragedy and their families.

The minister said those affected by the tragedy will be given all the help they need. He expressed the ministry’s condolences to the family of the student who died and said they were praying for the speedy recovery of those injured.

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