7 Students, 2 Teachers Injured When Ductwork Falls From School Ceiling

GLENSHAW (KDKA) -- Nine people, including seven children, have been injured after officials say some ductwork fell from the ceiling in the cafeteria of the Shaler Area Elementary School.

The collapse happened around 11:30 a.m. during fourth grade lunch at the school building on Scott Avenue in Glenshaw.

"A big pipe just fell down on this table," Colby Keillor, a fourth grader, said. "Everybody just ran out the door."

School officials say the ductwork and air conditioning unit that dropped from the ceiling were located in the center of the cafeteria area.

"It's a pretty round unit – it flows air through it and that was suspended from the ceiling and that dropped," Kara Eckert, assistant to the superintendent, said.

According to school officials, seven students and two teachers were injured. The children were taken to Children's Hospital.

"Of those seven, two appear to have serious, but not life-threatening injuries," Dr. Steven Docimo, chief medical officer at Children's Hospital, said. "Five appear to have less serious injuries. At this point, we are expecting those five to be discharged."

Late Tuesday, three children were in good condition, three were in fair condition and one had already been discharged.

Teachers accompanied the injured students to the hospital.

Also, officials say two teachers were hurt. One suffered a shoulder injury and the other a knee injury.

"We saw a teacher laying on the ground and we saw a girl from my class got hit," Molly Malachow, a fourth grader, said.

The school district is calling it a scary moment for students and faculty and they are making counseling available.

A Global Connect message went out to parents and they came running.

"On the drive here I was just paranoid, scared that my daughter got hurt," Michael Matzger, a parent, said. "My prayers are with the other children too."

School is canceled for Wednesday so the school can find out why the unit fell.

Stay with KDKA for the latest details.

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