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More than 100 students and their accompanying school staff were stranded for hours in the dense forests of Katarniaghat in Uttar Pradesh in the evening while returning from an educational tour, officials said on Sunday.
He said that the children aged between 14 to 18 were forced to endure the harsh cold while living under the open sky without food, water or suitable clothing for the cold temperatures, as the school authorities stopped their visit by local people. Warnings to stop at a safe place were ignored, he said. ,
He said there were 155 people in total, of which 130 were children.
According to the district administration, the group from Gonda district was on an educational tour organized by the New Standard Training Institute in Dhanepur.
According to local social activist Jang Hindustani, the group first tried to cross the Rupaidiha border to Nepal, but were stopped due to border rules. After being refused entry into Nepal, managers diverted the buses towards the Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, known for its dense forests and dangerous wildlife including leopards, tigers and elephants.
The buses passed through five forest check posts before reaching Amba village located inside the sanctuary.
Despite warnings from local people and authorities, the school staff insisted on continuing with the journey, he said. At around 5 pm, the buses again tried to move towards Nepal, but were again stopped from proceeding.
After this, the managers decided to make the children sit in the open at Bichhiya railway station situated amidst a dense forest. As the temperature dropped, children huddled together to protect themselves from the cold.
After receiving information that the students were trapped, District Magistrate Monica Rani ordered action. Sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Sanjay Kumar, police and forest department officials rushed to the site to provide food, set up a bonfire and ensure the safety of children and staff, he said.
SDM Sanjay Kumar confirmed that food was arranged for everyone and strict instructions were issued to prevent such incidents in future. The children and staff were safely taken back to Gonda around midnight, bringing their ordeal to an end.
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