Updated - No one was injured but a number of cars were damaged when the lateral wall of a hall at San Anton school collapsed onto an access road.

The incident at 1.30pm today, is believed to have been caused by the strong winds. The structure was still under construction.

The incident happened when senior students were on their lunch break but none were in the area.

Children in the Grade 7 classes, overlooking the site, were immediately evacuated from their classes.

The ongoing construction works had raised the concerns of some parents.
One of them, Rene Rossignaud said in a Facebook post that it was a miracle that no one was injured today.

“Having such a large three storey construction site just a few metres away from classrooms full of kids is nothing but irresponsible” he said, also pointing to a tower crane carrying materials above the school.

Had the accident happened at 3pm when cars were driven out of the same road, or at 5pm after gym class, when parents and children walked the same road to their cars, people would have been killed, he said.

In a circular to parents, the school administration said it had held a meeting with all the professionals involved in the building project, including the school's architect, the contractor carrying out the works, the Health and Safety consultants and the project manager.

"We were assured by all the professionals involved that works have been carried out in accordance with proper building practice and health and safety regulations. We are further informed that the incident occurred as a result of an exceptionally strong gust of wind that struck the wall which was still under construction and that no measures could have been taken to avoid or pre-empt the incident."

The administration said that in the interests of safety, it had been advised to keep the school closed tomorrow. 

It also announced that TBA Periti have been appointed to draw up a report on what had taken place and, once it is presented, a meeting will be called for parents.