22 students injured in China as landslide hits primary school

Beijing, Apr 22: As many as 22 students have been injured when a landslide hit a primary school in China's south Rong'an county, state media reported on Friday.

The landslide, triggered by persistent rain, hit the Liuliao Village of Fushi Township in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region at noon yesterday, authorities said.

The landslide caused the collapse of the walls of the school's classrooms, Jiang Yu, deputy head of the county said. So far, 23 people including 22 pupils and a staff member at the school canteen were being hospitalised and in stable condition.

Two of them suffered serious injuries. One had a broken leg and another sustained craniocerebral trauma, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. All the 149 students and 12 teachers in the school have been relocated to safe places, according to Jiang.

Wei Lan, Director of the Land and Resources Bureau of the county said a total of 1,600 cubic meters of rocks on the hill at the back of the school collapsed and rolled down to hit the school.

The Bureau has launched a safety inspection around the site of the landslide to prevent secondary disasters, Wei said.

The school will resume classes next Monday as the county's education bureau will arrange a temporary place for students from the school, said Zhao Daliang, Director of the Education Bureau of Rong'an County.

PTI