AT least 29 students have been killed and 250 injured after an explosion resulted in a stampede at a high school.
Students were in the middle of an exam on Wednesday when an electrical transformer exploded in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic.
The tragic incident took place at Barthelemy Boganda High School, where more than 5,300 students were on their second day of sitting their national baccalaureate exams.
Unfortunately, the majority of the casualties, which included 16 female students, lost their lives on the spot due to a stampede triggered by the explosion, while others were later declared dead at the hospital, according to a statement from the Ministry of Health.
The explosion occurred while technicians were attempting to repair a malfunctioning electrical transformer at the school, as reported by the Ministry of Education.
Alvin Yaligao, one of the students, recalled: “The building shook and we were all terrified.
“It was everyone man for himself.”
Survivors have also recalled hearing a loud explosion from the transformer midway into the examination, causing chaos to unfold.
Some of the victims died after jumping out of the building while others were killed in the stampede at the crowded entrance to the upper floors in an attempt to escape.
Many other students fainted amid the chaos and were rushed to the hospital, some of them transported on motorbikes.
Authorities believe panic from the blast triggered a chaotic stampede, causing most of the fatalities and injuries.
Emergency responders arrived promptly and transported the injured to nearby hospitals.
Many people in the area were angered by the tragic incident, accusing the government of negligence for not handling the problems with the electrical transformer.
Government officials and workers who arrived at the scene were pelted with different objects by furious residents.
President of the school’s parents’ association, Gdon Cyr Ngass, has called for an investigation into the tragedy, adding: “We deplore this incident which was caused by a lack of maintenance.”
President Faustin-Archange Touadéra has declared a period of national mourning in honour of the victims.
Investigators are currently working to determine the precise cause of the explosion and whether any safety protocols were breached.
