Student, 18, fights for life after balcony plunge
TEEN ‘CRITICAL’ AFTER FALL AT COLLEGE
A TEENAGE student is fighting for his life in hospital after falling from a balcony at a south Manchester college.
The 18-year-old fell from the third floor inside The Manchester College’s Northenden Campus, on Sale Road, at around 4pm yesterday.
Police investigating the incident say it is not being treated as suspicious.
Emergency services, including an air ambulance, were called to the college within minutes of the young man’s fall and the building was immediately evacuated.
GMP officers remained at the scene for several hours into yesterday evening.
One resident who lives near the college, who asked not to be named, said: “I noticed something was going on when they emptied all the students from the college.
“The emergency services were here withing minutes.
“There were two ambulances, two rapid response cars and three police cars on the scene by 4.15pm.
“My daughter goes to that college so I know where the balcony is. It’s on the inside of the building.
“I just hope the boy is okay. It’s a terrible thing to have happened.”
A spokesman for The Manchester College said yesterday: “We are dealing with an isolated incident involving one student. Emergency services are at the scene.”
College bosses were understood to be working with the student’s family and the police.
A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police confirmed the young man’s age and that he was in a critical condition.
“Police were called to reports of a male falling from a third floor balcony at around 4pm on Thursday,” the spokesman said.
“The incident is not being treated as suspicious.”
According to the college’s website, the Northenden Campus runs vocational and academic courses for apprentices, school leavers, adults and university-level students.