Three detained for fatal school stampede

Three people have been detained in southwest China's Yunnan province following Friday's stampede that killed six students and injured 26 at a highly regarded primary school in the provincial capital of Kunming.

Li Lan, headmaster of Mingtong Primary School, Yang Lin, its vice headmaster, and Li Pengcheng, a physical education teacher at Mingtong, were detained on Monday for alleged involvement in the safety accident, the Kunming government said.

The government gave a detailed account of the accident a day earlier.

At about 2 pm on Friday, students were walking 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 children stumbled over the cushion and fell on each other, causing chaos. The situation escalated when other kids, unaware of the situation continued to push, leading to a stampede.

Seven officials were suspended or removed from their posts on Saturday.

Of the injured, 18 students had been discharged from hospital, while eight remain under observation as of 3:00 pm Monday.

Classes at the school have been suspended until the end of the National Day holiday on Oct 7.

Founded in 1955, Mingtong Primary in downtown Kunming is considered one of the best schools in the district.