BHOPAL: It was a providential escape for more than 1,600 students of a government higher secondary school at Gwalior district in Madhya Pradesh, thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi 's address on Teachers' Day.

Roof collapsed hours before they were to assemble there to listen to the first ever address of a Prime Minister on this day.

The roof came crashing down inside the hall where students were asked to reach by 12 noon.

School authorities had rescheduled the timings in wake of the government circular, for Teachers' Day, asking schools to make arrangements to screen the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address and have students listen to it.

"The roof collapsed at 10.20am. Fortunately there was no one at that place at that time unlike the usual timings. Change in schedule saved many...Had it been two hours later, a major tragedy could have taken place," said a government officer.

It's an 150-year-old school located in the Maharajwada area of Gwalior.