Latest news with #FaustinArchangeTouadera
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Death toll at Bangui school stampede revised to 20: government, ET Education
Advt Join the community of 2M+ industry professionals. Subscribe to Newsletter to get latest insights & analysis in your inbox. Get updates on your preferred social platform Follow us for the latest news, insider access to events and more. Bangui: The death toll from a stampede during high school exams in the Central African Republic has been lowered to 20, officials said Saturday, from an earlier count of stampede started after the explosion of a power transformer at Barthelemy Boganda high school in Bangui on Wednesday 5,300 pupils were sitting the second day of the baccalaureate exams at the time of the incident."Twenty deaths have been recorded among our youth in various morgues," Communication Minister Maxime Balalou added 65 remained in hospital for observation as of Thursday, including four in critical said the head of one of the two exam centres at the Barthelemy Boganda high school had died "due to illness linked to the event".Panicked students and staff scrambled to escape, with some leaping from the school's first floor, witnesses students were rushed to hospital by ambulance, pickup truck and motorbike taxi, according to AFP reporters at the Faustin Archange Touadera, attending a Gavi vaccine summit in Brussels, declared three days of national mourning The CAR is among the poorest countries in the world. Since independence from France in 1960 it has endured a succession of coups, authoritarian rulers and civil latest civil war started more than a decade government has secured the main cities and violence has subsided in recent fighting occasionally erupts in remote regions between rebels and the national army, which is backed by Wagner mercenaries and Rwandan troops.
News24
5 days ago
- Politics
- News24
Dozens killed in Central African Republic school stampede
At least 29 school students were killed in a stampede in the Central African Republic as they took their exams, authorities said on Thursday. The incident occurred as more than 5 300 pupils sat their baccalaureate exams at Barthelemy Boganda High School in the capital, Bangui, on Wednesday. An electrical transformer exploded and sparked panic, leading to a stampede. Some students were seen jumping from the first floor of the school. Most of the victims - including 16 girls - died at the scene, according to the Health Ministry. At least 260 other students were treated for injuries. 'The hospital was overwhelmed by people to the point of obstructing caregivers and ambulances,' a Health Ministry source told the AFP news agency. President declares 3-day mourning period Central African President Faustin Archange Touadera responded to the news while attending a vaccine summit in Brussels, Belgium. He announced three days of national mourning. 'I would like to express my solidarity and compassion to the parents of the deceased candidates, to the educational staff, to the students,' he said in a video posted to Facebook. Meanwhile, Education Minister Aurelien-Simplice Kongbelet-Zingas said in a statement that 'measures will be taken quickly to shed light on the circumstances of this incident.' He said a date would be announced later for students to resume their exams.
Russia Today
5 days ago
- Russia Today
Dozens killed in high school stampede in African country (VIDEO)
At least 29 schoolchildren have been killed and more than 280 others injured in a stampede sparked by an explosion at a high school in the Central African Republic (CAR), the authorities have reported. The blast occurred on Wednesday at Barthelemy Boganda High School in the capital, Bangui, following repair works on an electrical transformer that had suffered a technical fault, the Ministry of National Education said in a statement on Thursday. 'This incident triggered panic and caused several serious injuries, unfortunately resulting in some loss of life,' the ministry said in a statement. The victims were among an estimated 5,311 candidates from six different schools who had gathered at the venue to sit for their baccalaureate exams, it added. Local news outlet Lengo Songo reported that many of the injured students were taken to the Russian medical center in Bangui for treatment. According to the outlet, Russian medics organized an emergency response and provided free medical care to all victims. Central African Republic President Faustin-Archange Touadera stated on X late Thursday that he mourns 'the tragic loss of 29 young lives' with a 'broken heart.' 'Over 280 injured. These were our children, full of dreams. The nation stands united in grief. May they rest in peace,' he wrote. The government has declared three days of national mourning from Thursday to Saturday, in tribute to the victims of the tragedy. AP cited survivors who said they heard a loud explosion from the transformer midway through the examination. Some of the victims reportedly died after jumping from the building, while others were crushed in a stampede near the crowded stairwell as students attempted to flee. 'The building shook and we were all terrified. It was everyone man for himself,' a student identified as Alvin Yaligao told the outlet. Locals accused the government of negligence for failing to address the electrical transformer fault, with officials and workers who arrived at the scene pelted with objects by angry residents, according to AP. 'We deplore this incident, which was caused by a lack of maintenance,' Gedeon Cyr Ngaisse, the president of the school's parents' association, told journalists, calling for an investigation into the incident. The Ministry of Education has said measures will be taken to clarify the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The Sun
5 days ago
- The Sun
At least 29 students killed & over 250 injured in horror explosion and stampede at high school during exam
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. 3 3 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. Authorities believe panic from the blast triggered a chaotic stampede, which caused most of the fatalities and injuries. Emergency responders arrived promptly and transported the injured to nearby hospitals. 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. . 3
Business Recorder
6 days ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
29 pupils taking high school exams killed in C Africa crush
BANGUI: Twenty-nine students taking their high school exams in the Central African Republic died in a stampede sparked by an exploding power transformer, the health ministry told AFP Thursday. Just over 5,300 students were sitting the second day of the baccalaureat exams at the time of the explosion early Wednesday afternoon in Bangui, the capital of the deeply poor nation. In the ensuing panic, supervisors and students tried to flee, some jumping from the first floor of the school. The injured were transported by ambulance, on the back of pickup trucks or by motorbike taxi, AFP journalists saw. 'I would like to express my solidarity and compassion to the parents of the deceased candidates, to the educational staff, to the students,' President Faustin Archange Touadera said in a video published on his party's Facebook page.
