Seven punished for China primary school stampede  

昆明明通小学踩踏事件原因查明 七名官员受处

The ambulence is about to leave school and parents wait outside the school gate anxiously on Sept 26, 2014. [Photo: China News service / Zhong Xin]

Seven people have been suspended or removed from their posts following a fatal primary school stampede in southwest China's Yunnan Province on Friday afternoon.

The accident killed six students and injured 26 others at Mingtong Primary School in Kunming, capital of Yunnan.

Read more: 6 killed in Yunnan primary school stampede

A deputy head of the city's education bureau and a vice governor of Panlong District have been suspended due to "serious dereliction of duty," while another three people including the head of Mingtong Primary School have also been suspended, the local government said on Saturday.

Another two people in charge of school safety, including a deputy head of the school, have been sacked, it added.

Preliminary investigation showed that the stampede occurred after a nap period, when students were walking downstairs in the dormitory building.

A teacher placed two cotton cushions used for gym class, 200 cm long, 150 cm wide and 30 cm high, against the wall in the corridor of the building. One of the cushions slipped to the ground and blocked the way.

The cushion made a group of young children fall down. Other children streaming past the site were unaware of the situation and stepped on their schoolmates underneath. Most of the victims were in grade one and two.

Founded in 1955, Mingtong is located in Panlong District in downtown Kunming and is one of the best schools in the area.