Stampede at elementary school in China kills seven children - 26 October, 2005 - News

A stampede on a stairwell at an elementary school in southwest China killed seven children and injured 37, state media reported Wednesday.

The cause was under investigation. The school, in Tongjiang, a county in Sichuan province, was built last year, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. Authorities told Xinhua they doubted there was a structural collapse.

Students were leaving their evening classes Tuesday when the stampede occurred in the stairwell, Xinhua said.

Seven children died at the scene, it said. Of the 37 children who were injured, five suffered serious injuries and were being observed by hospital doctors, it said.

Tongjiang is about 1,200 kilometers (740 miles) southwest of Beijing, AP reports.

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