At least 29 students have died and dozens more were injured following a tragic stampede at Barthelemy Boganda High School in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic. The stampede happened on Wednesday when a power transformer exploded during national exams, sparking panic among more than 5,000 students.
Eyewitnesses say the explosion caused widespread confusion, with students and teachers rushing to escape. Many students jumped from first-floor windows, and emergency services struggled to manage the overwhelming number of casualties. Health workers used every available vehicle, including ambulances and motorcycles, to transport the injured.
President Faustin Archange Touadéra, who was in Brussels at the time, declared a three-day national mourning period and expressed condolences to the victims’ families. Education authorities have promised a full investigation into the tragedy, which has raised serious concerns about safety standards in schools across the country.
Grief quickly turned to anger as protests broke out near the school, with citizens blaming the national electricity company, Enerca, for repeated failures. Critics have also condemned officials for failing to provide adequate protection for students, pointing to the country’s ongoing infrastructure problems and fragile public services.