A tragic incident unfolded in the Central African Republic’s capital, Bangui, on Wednesday when a sudden explosion at an electricity transformer sparked panic and caused a deadly stampede at a school exam venue. At least 29 students lost their lives and more than 280 others were injured, according to Dr. Abel Assaye, director of Bangui Community Hospital.
The fatal crush occurred at Lycée Barthélémy Boganda, where nearly 6,000 students had gathered from five different schools to sit their baccalaureate (high school final) exams. The explosion reportedly came from an electrical transformer that had recently been undergoing maintenance. According to the education ministry, the transformer exploded shortly after power was restored, triggering a loud noise and thick smoke that swept through the examination center.
Eyewitnesses and survivors described the chaos as students, fearing a terrorist attack or another form of danger, rushed to escape the building. One student, identified only as Magloire, told Radio France Internationale (RFI) that the incident occurred during the history and geography paper. “The explosion created panic. Everyone was trying to escape, but the exit was too narrow. People were trampling each other,” he said, his face covered in blood as he recounted jumping out of a window to save his life.
In response to the tragedy, President Faustin-Archange Touadéra declared a period of national mourning, expressing condolences to the bereaved families and ordering free medical treatment for all the injured. The Minister of Education, Aurelien-Simplice Kongbelet-Zingas, also suspended all further exams and extended heartfelt sympathies to the families of the victims.
This incident adds to the deep challenges facing the Central African Republic, which continues to grapple with political instability, poor infrastructure, and armed conflict. Government forces, with the assistance of Russian paramilitary groups, remain locked in battles with rebel factions attempting to destabilize Touadéra’s administration.
The explosion and subsequent stampede highlight the urgent need for better safety standards and emergency preparedness in public institutions, especially schools. As investigations begin and the nation mourns, questions remain about how such a catastrophe could happen in a government-supervised environment and what steps must be taken to ensure it never occurs again.
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