Published 15:54 IST, January 16th 2020
Horrifying video shows students running as storm rips through school
Horrific footage of a group of students running for their lives as a huge storm crashed through the walls of a school gymnasium has surfaced on the internet.
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Horrific footage of a group of students running for their lives as a huge storm crashed through the walls of a school gymnasium has surfaced on the internet. According to international media reports, three students have also been injured and the storm left a gaping hole in the roof and wall and debris all around. The video captured the moment in which a group of more than a dozen students playing in the gym at the Union Intermediate School before running to safety.
3 students were sent to the hospital after the roof of Union Intermediate School's gym in Sampson County, North Carolina, collapsed during a storm on Jan. 13. https://t.co/H0SEYmgmBa pic.twitter.com/uuWBlbylg1
— AccuWeather (@accuweather) January 15, 2020
The clip shows the children fleeing for the exits as the walls are torn to pieces by the sheer force of the wind and rain. A spokesperson from Sampson County School reportedly said that the students were doing their gym activities and all of a sudden debris starts flowing in and one could see the sky. She further also informed that the three children injured are going to be 'ok'.
While speaking to an international media outlet, Principal Dondi Hobbs said that it was fortunate that the curtain on the stage was closed, as it helped reduce the impact from the debris flung into the air by the storm. He further also assured the parents of the children at the school that the building was safe and had not been compromised by the storm as the school authorities are dealing with the minimal damage.
'Microburst storm'
According to international media reports, a severe thunderstorm warning was also issued in Sampson County. Following the storm, many schools classed were also cancelled. The National Weather Service said that the storm was a 'microburst' that caused the damage. The weather service further reportedly said that the damage in the form of snapped and uprooted trees to the west of the school structure, along with the more significant roof uplift and partial outer wall collapse of the schools' gymnasium occurred in a clear fan-like fashion.
A damage survey team from our office has confirmed that a microburst was responsible for the damage that occurred to Union Intermediate School in Sampson County, #NCwx yesterday. More info: https://t.co/1TT3reL1F9 pic.twitter.com/JvB59PizXF
— NWS Raleigh (@NWSRaleigh) January 14, 2020
Some images of the microburst that occurred this afternoon in NW Raleigh. #NCwx https://t.co/D4XQV7VyRm
— NWS Raleigh (@NWSRaleigh) July 17, 2019
15:54 IST, January 16th 2020