The families of students who died during a stampede at a school in central China on Monday will each receive compensation of around 350,000 yuan ($51,000), the local government said late last night.

"By 6 pm today (Wednesday), the school has reached agreements with all families of the dead students," read a statement posted on the official website of Xiangxiang city government following the tragedy that killed eight at the school in Xiangxiang, Hunan province.

The statement said the compensation was the maximum amount possible and equal for all students.

In addition, relatives of seven of the children who died will receive 70,000 yuan.

The tragedy at Yucai High School in Xiangxiang happened after the study session at around 9:10 pm Monday when hundreds of students surged toward the door closest to their dormitory to avoid heavy rain.

They were jammed into a staircase and walking down when a girl tripped, triggering dozens more to lose their footing and fall.

Seven boys and one girl were either crushed or suffocated to death. Twenty-six others were injured.

As of 4 pm yesterday, 23 students remained in hospital. Four were in critical condition, said the local government.

Safety rules at the school have been improved in the wake of the tragedy to lessen the chance of staircases being crowded with students.

Among measures at the private-run school, notices have been posted on all five floors near the staircases reminding students to take the nearest one to classrooms for evacuation.

School authorities have also staggered lunch breaks and the ends of study session to ensure fewer students are on the move, said Liu Xiangping, deputy chief of education in Xiangxiang.

Liu was put in charge of the school after its principal was detained on Tuesday following Monday's incident.

The new schedule, which came into effect on Tuesday, also called for the lights-out time to be delayed by 10 minutes, to 9:40 pm, allowing students more time to get to their dorms, added Liu.

The school, which was founded in 1997, has 3,626 junior high students. Most are aged between 11 and 14. There are 140 people on staff.

Local family planning authorities, meanwhile, have offered free fertility services to parents who lost children.

The Ministry of Education issued a notice late Tuesday for all kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, urging them to prevent similar stampedes.

Zhang Fangping, head of the provincial education bureau in Hunan, vowed to penalize school officials responsible for similar accidents.

"In the case of similar disasters, the principal will be sacked immediately and we'll advise the local government and Communist Party of China committee to take action against those who are responsible," Zhang said at yesterday's conference with principals of all kindergartens and primary and secondary schools in Hunan.

The province also plans to launch a 10-day safety overhaul starting today, he added.