Nine school students commit suicide after disappointing school exam results in India's Andhra Pradesh

In a tragedy in the south-eastern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, nine students have committed suicide after results of examinations of class XI and XII were announced on Wednesday (26) by the state's board of intermediate education, NDTV reported.

Two other students also said to have attempted suicide.

It was reported that as many as 10 lakh (1 million) students took the examinations. While the percentage of successful candidates in class XI was 61, that in class XII was 72.

One of the students aged 17 reportedly jumped in front of a moving train in Srikakulam district of Andhra after he was said to be disheartened after failing in most of his papers.

A 16-year-old girl also took the drastic step at home after failing in some subjects of the intermediate first year. She belonged to the state's Visakhapatnam district.

Another boy, aged 18, hanged himself at his residence in Visakhapatnam's Kancharapalem locality. He reportedly failed in one of the subjects in the intermediate second year.

The news of the suicides came amid a spate of suicides in some of India's premier colleges. The NDTV report added that four students died in suspected cases of suicide at various campuses of the premier Indian Institute of Technology.

In February, India's chief justice DY Chandrachud expressed concern over instances of students allegedly taking the drastic step and said his heart goes out to their bereaved family members. He said he wondered where the country's institutions are going wrong, that the students were forced to end their lives.