School stampede raises many questions

A STAMPEDE AT A PRIMARY SCHOOL in Puyang county, Central China's Henan province, on Wednesday morning resulted in the death of one student, and left more than 20 pupils injured. Beijing News commented on Thursday:

The principal of the primary school was removed hours after the incident, which happened at about 8:30 am as students rushed to the toilet during a 10-minute break, according to reports. The students were reportedly preparing for their monthly examinations scheduled later in the morning.

It is laudable that the school and local officials reacted quickly to the tragedy by sending the injured to hospital and launching a thorough investigation into the cause of the tragedy. But there are questions that need to be answered now.