TIRUPATI: A 17-year-old intermediate student from a private college in Agarala, near Chandragiri, was critically injured on Tuesday night after falling from his hostel building while allegedly trying to climb down using drainage pipes.

Police said the student, Mahidhar Reddy, had tried to exit the hostel through a window and lower himself along the pipes when he slipped and fell to the ground.

Around the same time, security staff spotted six other students attempting a similar escape and intervened before they could climb down.

Mahidhar sustained severe injuries in the fall and began bleeding from his ear, nose and mouth.

He became unconscious soon after. Hostel staff shifted him to a private hospital in Tirupati without delay. Hailing from Kalikiri mandal in the Pileru constituency of Annamayya district, Mahidhar’s family was informed by the college and rushed to the hospital.

He is currently being treated at Amara Hospital, where doctors say his condition continues to be critical.