At least 29 students killed & over 250 injured in horror explosion and stampede at high school during exam
Authorities believe panic from the blast triggered a chaotic stampede, which caused most of the fatalities and injuries
SCHOOL BLAST At least 29 students killed & over 250 injured in horror explosion and stampede at high school during exam
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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.
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At least 29 students have been killed and 250 injured
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The incident occurred at Barthelemy Boganda High School
Credit: X / @MSF_USA
The incident occurred at Barthelemy Boganda High School, where over 5,300 students were gathered for the second day of their national baccalaureate examinations.
Most of the victims, including 16 girls, tragically died at the scene after the explosion resulted in a stampede, while others were confirmed dead at the hospital, the Ministry of Health said in a statement.
The explosion happened as technicians were working to restore a faulty electrical transformer on the school grounds, according to the Ministry of Education.
Alvin Yaligao, one of the students, recalled: "The building shook and we were all terrified.
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"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, which then caused most of the fatalities and injuries.
Emergency responders arrived promptly and transported the injured to nearby hospitals.
At least 18 people killed in stampede at station as thousands push to board train on way to Indian religious festival
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.
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