Yaoundé: Tragedy Hits Primary School as Stampede Kills 4, Injures Nine Others

There is still untold pain and agony in the Briqueterie neighbourhood in Yaoundé following the deaths of four pupils of Government Primary School Ekoudou.

The names of the deceased were gotten as Moustapha Ali, Baba Ibrahim, Zenabou Oumarou and Fortune Wandji and they were all confirmed dead by rescue units.

According to sources, the impromptu deaths of Wednesday March 21, 2018 occurred while pupils of the said institution were watching a theatrical performance in one of the classrooms.

TCR gathered that the deaths resulted from a stampede that occurred at about 11:15am. Nine other pupils were also seriously injured during the stampede and were rushed to various heath units ion Yaoundé. 

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One of the officials of the school named Ndi Foe Arlette, director of Group 2, narrated what transpired to the press.

“There was a presentation as there is often in this institution as part of the after-school activities. I was in my office when my colleague called me to inform me that there were students who had fainted. I got out of my office, I found 8 children lying at the bottom of the stairs. I pushed people away, put the children in a lateral safety position as we learned in first aid classes. Then with alcohol, we tried to bring back some of them. After I led this first contingent of children to the GMI,” she said.

Moussa, a young student from the class next to CM2, said he lived the scene. He said that the children paid 100 FCFA to attend the show, and that many people who could not afford an entrance ticket were outside this room. “There was a theater being performed and the room was full. In the course of it, children began to fall. The others wanted to flee, while the others sought to enter. That's how the stampede originated,” he said.

After the incident, the victims were taken to the Yaoundé emergency center, the central hospital in Yaoundé, the GMI and the Chantal Biya Foundation.

At press time, it was still unclear why the first group of students fell into a trance. Locals have described the situation as paranormal, an opinion that the Director of the school Ndi Foe Arlette, shares half-heartedly. “The children are falling here. It's been 6 months that I'm here, this happens often. During classes, they fall and are taken to health facilities, where thy finally calm down. ... But the situation had intensified these days.

Nearly ten cases were recorded on Monday,” she said, but did not openly say whether it was paranormal or not.

At the Yaoundé Central Hospital, state officials organized a crisis meeting. In the absence of Minister Youssouf Hadidja Alim who was out of the city, it is the Secretary of State for Basic Education, Benoit Ndong Souhmet who chaired the meeting in the presence of the Senior Divisional Officer of Mfoundi, the Divisional Officer of Yaoundé 2, the director of the central hospital, the public prosecutor, the medical corps concerned, the police as well as members of the council of imams.

Several emergency measures were immediately taken including the payment of hospital bills of victims by government.

Government has also suspended classes in Government Primary School Ekoudou until further notice as investigations into the tragedy have been opened.