At least 40 children were injured, five of them seriously, after a portion of the first-floor balcony of their school here collapsed on Friday, police said.

The children are being treated at the district hospital. The condition of five students is stated to be "critical", Barabanki Superintendent of Police (SP) Dinesh Kumar Singh said.

Singh said the incident took place at the Awadh Academy School, a private institution, when a large number of children gathered on the first-floor balcony while going down to attend the morning assembly.

The 40 injured children were rushed to the Jahangirabad Primary Health Centre, around 300 metres from the school, and after they were given first aid, they were referred to the district hospital, police said.

Many of the students were pulled out from under the debris of the collapsed balcony, they said. At the hospital, the children are being treated for injuries to their face, neck, hands and legs.

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