Six middle school students were killed and 39 others were
injured in a trampling accident happened in east China's Jiangxi Province on weekend, local government
sources confirmed on Sunday.
Around 8:30?PM Saturday, after an evening class,
first-grade students of Tutang Middle School in Duchang County
swarmed into a staircase. They pushed and squeezed, resulting in
the accident, according to sources with the Duchang government.
Six students, five male and one female aged between 12 and 13,
died on their way to hospital.
The 39 students are receiving treatment or medical observation
at the Duchang People's Hospital and the Duchang Traditional
Chinese Medicine Hospital.
One injured student is in critical condition, hospital sources
said.
A first-grade student experienced the accident said he saw
someone squatting down to tie shoelaces at the staircase between
the first and second floors of a three-story building before the
accident happened. Hundreds of students walked downstairs at that
time.
When the stampede took place, teachers of the school were
correcting students' mid-term exam papers in office.
There were six grade-one classes in the building, each with
about 80 students. Teachers should be present at the evening
classes, according to school rules.
Local authorities are investigating the cause of the
accident.
(Xinhua News Agency November 19, 2006)