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Devastating moment students plunge to deaths as balcony falls

WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT: At least seven people are dead after a balcony railing at a university collapsed during a student assembly.

The horrifying incident happened on Tuesday afternoon at Bolivia's Public University of El Alto and video footage of the collapse has been circulating on social media.

In the video, the university students are seen on the balcony, some are heard chanting, while others are seen pushing one another.

At least seven people are dead, after a balcony railing collapsed at a university in Bolivia. Source: YouTube/San Pedro Chill
At least seven people are dead, after a balcony railing collapsed at a university in Bolivia. Source: YouTube/San Pedro Chill

Suddenly, the balcony railing collapses and people are seen falling to the ground, with some heard screaming.

The seven that have been confirmed dead are all first-year university students, and they fell about 17 metres during a meeting for candidates for Sunday’s local elections in Bolivia, The Associated Press reported.

The meeting, was reportedly held on the fourth floor of the Faculty of Economics building, and in defiance of Bolivia's pandemic restrictions.

A woman seen falling from a ledge.
A woman was seen falling from the ledge before someone pulled her back up. Source: YouTube/San Pedro Chill

In addition to the seven who died, five are in hospital in a critical condition, Al Jazeera reported, citing Health Minister Jayson Auza.

According to Pagina Siete, two women and four men fell from the balcony and Al Jazeera reported the ages of the injured and the deceased were between 20 and 24.

Governor Félix Patzi declared three days of mourning and prosecutor Marco Antonio Cossío said eight people had been arrested, some for violating the ban on public meetings during the pandemic.

With the Associated Press

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