Five suspects were charged yesterday over their involvement in the
Fengzhen tragedy on Monday, which left 21 middle school students
dead.
School Headmaster Fan Qi and Vice-Headmaster Xing Zhiqiang were
among those officials charged.
Xinhua News Agency reported yesterday that the school's former
head, Hu Zengyu, was also being watched by local police.
Fan was charged with severe dereliction of duty. It is alleged that
he was entertaining himself in a hotel with 18 other teachers when
he should be on duty.
The tragedy took place on Monday at No 2 Middle School of Fengzhen
in North China's Inner
Mongolia Autonomous Region.
Ma
Yan, a project manager with an Inner Mongolia construction company,
and two other suspects were also arrested. The company was the
builder of the school houses.
At
6.50pm, the guard rail on a stairwell gave way as more than 1,500
students headed downstairs after an evening class which had not
been included on the approved timetable.
Students who fell were quickly trampled by those pushing forward
down the stairs.
Seven boys and 14 girls suffocated on the ground while another 47
were treated in hospital for injuries sustained in the tragedy.
A
staff member from Wulanchabu League's Information Center said on
condition of anonymity that the ages of the students ranged from
13-15.
The schoolhouse was a brand-new, three-storey building, which had
been used for less than a year.
The west stairway where the tragedy took place had 12 lights but 11
were found to be broken and the other had no bulb in place.
It
is alleged that Fan had been informed about the problem before the
tragedy occurred but took no action to correct the faults.
Police also claimed that no member of staff was present when the
students attempted to leave the building in pitch-black
conditions.
The school is also alleged to have violated the national
educational law by lengthening class times without
authorization.
Worries surrounded the reinforced steel bar of the guard rail,
which had been slated for a quality test.
(China
Daily September 26, 2002)