The death toll from Tuesday's crush at a primary
school in southwest China's Sichuan
Province has risen from ten to twelve.
The accident took place when around 480 fourth- and
fifth-graders leaving an evening class at 8 PM panicked after a
blackout left corridors in the dark.
Some students apparently shouted “ghost,” causing
children to rush to a staircase where some fell, only to be
trampled upon by others.
Seven died on the spot; and five later in hospital.
Of the 27 injured, seven were reported to be in a critical
condition.
A teacher at the school, who did not want to be
identified, denied earlier media reports that the students were
killed when a dilapidated building collapsed, saying, "The building
is new and completed only in May".
Guangna Town Central Primary School is in Tongjiang
County, about 600 kilometers from the provincial capital
Chengdu.
(China Daily October 27, 2005)