Bangui, June 27: At least 29 students lost their lives and more than 260 were injured in a deadly stampede in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, after an electrical transformer exploded during nationwide exams.

The tragedy unfolded on Wednesday, June 25, at Barthelemy Boganda High School, where around 5,000 students from five different schools had gathered to take their baccalaureate exams. Authorities said the explosion occurred when power was being restored to a malfunctioning transformer, triggering chaos and panic.

The Ministry of Health confirmed that most of the victims, including 16 girls, died at the scene, while the injured were rushed to local hospitals for treatment.

Eyewitnesses said the sudden loud blast and rising smoke sparked fear that the building was collapsing. In the ensuing panic, some students jumped from the first floor to escape, while others were crushed in the rush toward a narrow exit.

"The building shook and we were all terrified. It was every man for himself," said Alvin Yaligao, a student who survived the stampede, speaking to the Associated Press.

Another survivor described how the explosion hit midway through a history and geography exam. “The students wanted to save their lives, and as they fled, they saw death. The door was too small, and not everyone could escape,” he said.

Education Minister Aurelien-Simplice Kongbelet-Zimgas extended condolences to the families of the victims and wished the injured a swift recovery.

People’s News Monitoring Service