Three officials detained in China school stampede

Amid protests by parents, three school officials were today detained in connection with a deadly stampede at a primary school in southwest China where six children were killed and 26 others injured last week.
Li Lan, headmaster of Mingtong Primary School in Yunnan province, Yang Lin, its vice-headmaster and Li Pengcheng, a physical education teacher, were detained for their alleged involvement in the accident.
The stampede took place on Friday when school students were going downstairs in the dormitory building after a nap.
A number of students were playing with a large cushion, which fell and blocked the way, some stumbled over the cushion and fell on each other, resulting in chaos.

The situation escalated when other kids, unaware of the situation continued to push, leading to a stampede, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Subsequently, seven officials were suspended from their posts on Saturday.

Of the injured, 18 students have been discharged from the hospital, while eight remain under observation.
Classes at the school have been suspended until the end of the National Day holiday on October 7.
Founded in 1955, Mingtong Primary in downtown Kunming is considered one of the best schools in the district.