The Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) has formed a five-member probe committee led by Joint Secretary Krishna Bahadur Raut to investigate into a wall collapse in Taukhel, Godawari, Lalitpur, which had claimed lives of two schoolchildren and injured 25 others.

Kripa Rai and Anima Magar, both third graders at Pushpanajali Boarding School, were killed when a retaining wall built next to the prefabricated building of the school caved in after heavy rains on July 1. According to Yadav Koirala, spokesperson for MoHA, the committee will submit its report in a week.

Joint-secretaries of the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development, a Nepal Police DIG and an investigating director of the National Investigation Department are the members of the committee.

According to school staff and locals, the stone and mud wall was erected by Karma Lama, a real estate businessman. Police are yet to arrest Lama. “Search is on to find Lama,” said SSP Pitamber Adhikari.

Puhami Kanti Bajracharya Lepcha, principal of the school, had said she had repeatedly asked Lama not to build the wall.

According to Lepcha, nine students are still in the hospital and they are out of danger.