Things got terrifyingly out of hand at Niaz Muhammad High School on Wednesday, where a stampede left close to 50 students injured. The whole thing started with what everyone thought was a fire.
A group of students was on the third floor of the school’s West Building, busy working on projects for a Science and Technology Fair. Then, a power strip suddenly made a loud noise. That was all it took. The sound triggered a mad dash for the stairwell as terrified students tried to get out.
Eleven students were seriously injured and admitted to Brahmanbaria General Hospital. They include Amena Jahana Arisha, Sohamani Eti, Tasnova Israt, Makia Akhter Lamia, Faria Sultana, Tanzina Akhter, Noha Islam, Kali, Arifa, Ruhan, and Fatima Akhter Meem.
Doctors said Ruhan, a Class 7 student, is in intensive care with breathing difficulties, while the others are under observation.
“Even though I assured the students there was no danger, they panicked and ran,” said Keshab Debnath, a mathematics teacher who was present during the incident. English teacher Mahmuda Akhter added that students screamed “fire” after hearing the short circuit noise.
Saimul Huda, an on-duty doctor at Brahmanbaria General Hospital, said many children were treated for minor injuries and trauma. “Most of them are expected to be discharged within a few hours,” he said.
Panic erupted over a spark from a balcony power strip. Teachers’ calls for calm were swallowed by the chaos as students made a frantic break for the stairs.
The stairwell, being far too narrow, couldn’t handle the surge. It led to a horrifying pile-up as students lost their footing and fell.
Once word got out, it was bedlam. Parents and local people were everywhere, crowding the school and rushing to the hospital. Eventually, some top officials showed up to see the injured kids.
The headmaster, Shahidul Islam, basically said this was a huge wake-up call. He admitted they have to get serious about their safety rules and actually practice what to do in an emergency so this never, ever happens again.
