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NH student rescued from sinkhole at school

During the afternoon recess, a student was running by the hole, fell in and got his leg stuck in it

By Meghan Foley
The Keene Sentinel

KEENE, N.H. A child was unhurt after falling into a shallow sinkhole at a Keene elementary school Wednesday afternoon.

Keene firefighters and medical personnel responded to Fuller Elementary School on Elm Street after receiving a report that a student had fallen waist-deep into the sinkhole on school grounds.

The incident happened during an afternoon recess, according to a message Principal Emily W. Hartshorne sent to parents.

A teacher discovered the sinkhole during a midday recess earlier, and had marked the area with a cone, Hartshorne wrote.

During the afternoon recess, a student was running by the hole, fell in and got his leg stuck in it, she said.

Emergency responders and the school nurse were notified immediately, she said, and firefighters arrived at the school within minutes to rescue the student, she said.

The student remained calm during the incident and wasn’t hurt, she wrote.

Members of the Keene School District’s maintenance department then excavated the hole and discovered it had been caused by a tree stump under the grass, Hartshorne wrote.

The hole has been filled in, and the area is now safe for students to use, she said.

The incident was reported at about 2:30 p.m.

Copyright 2016 The Keene Sentinel