A 12-year-old girl has died after a wall collapsed at Liberton High School in Edinburgh. The incident occurred just before 10:00 on Tuesday, when a free-standing modesty wall in a changing room fell on the pupil, who has been named locally as Keane Wallis-Bennett.
Emergency services attended the scene, but the girl was pronounced dead. Police Scotland have launched an investigation into the tragedy, and the Health and Safety Executive is liaising with officers. The school has been closed for the remainder of the week and until after the Easter break.
Supt Matt Richards of Police Scotland expressed condolences to the family, saying: 'Our deepest sympathies are with them at this time.' The City of Edinburgh Council stated that a full survey of all schools, including Liberton High, was conducted in 2012/13, with no concerns identified regarding this wall. As a precaution, specialist staff will survey similar walls in other schools.
One pupil, Devon Blyth, 13, told the BBC she had warned a teacher months ago about an unstable wall in the changing room but was told it 'should be fine'. The school, built in 1959, had its PE accommodation refurbished in the mid-1980s. A December 2013 council report recommended repairs but did not indicate structural work was needed.
