Two children were killed in a stampede at an elementary school in central China’s Henan province on Wednesday, according to state media.
Another 20 pupils were injured — two of them critically — during the crush at Puyang county’s Third Experimental Primary School, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reports.
The stampede occurred at around 8:30 a.m. “when some students were going to the toilet,” according to Xinhua. The cause of the incident is currently under investigation.
Other Chinese-language reports have said that panic broke out after the school lavatory’s outside wall collapsed.
Shoddy construction work has often been blamed for fatal accidents in China when buildings, bridges and other infrastructure have failed.
In 2008, thousands of poorly built schoolhouses were destroyed in a devastating earthquake in Sichuan province, even as buildings around them remained intact.
[Xinhua]
More Must-Reads From TIME
- The 100 Most Influential People of 2024
- How Far Trump Would Go
- Scenes From Pro-Palestinian Encampments Across U.S. Universities
- Saving Seconds Is Better Than Hours
- Why Your Breakfast Should Start with a Vegetable
- 6 Compliments That Land Every Time
- Welcome to the Golden Age of Ryan Gosling
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Contact us at letters@time.com