A Class 10 student who was walking to school on Thursday morning died of a heart attack just outside the institution in Telangana’s Kamareddy district. 

Sri Nidhi, 16, was from Singarayapalli village in Ramareddy mandal and was living in Kamareddy to pursue her studies in a private school. Officials said she suffered chest pain near the school and collapsed.  

A school teacher noticed her and immediately rushed her to a hospital. Doctors who examined her gave her initial treatment, including CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), but referred her to another hospital when she did not respond. Sri Nidhi was declared dead of a heart attack at the second hospital. 

Teachers and students of the school expressed grief over the death and several students also said they were shocked that a girl as young as Sri Nidhi died of a heart attack. Her body has been taken to her hometown. 

Sri Nidhi’s death comes months after Mohit Chaudhary, a Class 6 student from Aligarh’s Sirauli village, suffered a heart attack and died. The 14-year-old was preparing for the annual sports day competition and collapsed during a practice run. 

Another child, eight-year-old Diksha, from the same district had died of a heart attack while playing with her friends just days earlier. 

Professor M Rabbani from the Aligarh Muslim University had said deaths by cardiac arrest have increased by 22% in 2 years.

“If any healthy person dies within an hour, it is called sudden cardiac arrest. This has increased by 22 per cent in the last 20 years. If a child complains of shortness of breath and chest pain, he should be examined immediately,” the professor said.