Seven officials punished over fatal school stampede

A man takes her daughter out of Mingtong Primary School in Kunming city, Yunnan province, September 26, 2014. A stampede left six pupils dead and 26 injured at the school on Friday. [Photo/Xinhua]

Kunming city sacked two officials and suspended five others over negligence after a stampede left six pupils dead and 26 injured at a primary school.

Initial investigation showed a foam rubber sleeping mat had fallen down and blocked a staircase on Friday, tripping some students. Other students following closely behind, but unaware of what had happened, rushed down the narrow staircase, causing a stampede, said Jiao Lin, Panlin district mayor, at a press conference on Saturday afternoon.

Mingtong Primary School is located in the district of the capital city in Southwest China's Yunnan province.

After the incident, Kunming officials demanded that all schools in the city be thoroughly checked to remove any safety hazards.