Chinese girl dies after stampede caused by 1700 Chinese primary school students rushing for toilets

A Chinese girl was killed while 21 others were injured after a stampede caused by 1,700 students all rushing for the toilets at the same time, after an announcement by the vice principal, telling them that the examinations were starting in 10 minutes. 

The incident happened on Wednesday (Mar 22) morning at a primary school in Henan, China, reports Lianhe Wanbao. 

On the day of the incident, there was an examination set at 8.30am, and the entire student populace were scheduled to take their examinations at the same time. 

The vice principal claimed that the school had placed staff at the staircases on every floor, to facilitate with the sheer number of students and direct the flow of human traffic.

It is believed that the victim had left a toilet on the 2nd storey when she lost her footing. 

While some students attempted to help her up, the surging crowd at the back kept advancing, without noticing that someone had fallen, causing a stampede.

After the tragic accident, an accessory of the victim was found, about a metre away from the stairs.

21 others were injured during the incident, and one student died on the way to a hospital while two others sustained severe injuries. 

It is also understood that the school had breached safety regulations, holding 80 students per classroom, which surpasses the limits imposed by authorities.