Overview

• At least 29 students were killed in a panic-induced stampede after an electrical transformer exploded during the June 25 baccalaureate exams at Barthélemy Boganda high school in Bangui.
• The blast occurred when Enerca crews restored power to a transformer that had failed, producing smoke and prompting candidates to flee through narrow exits.
• Nearly 260 students sustained injuries, with about 110 remaining under observation at Bangui hospitals overwhelmed by the influx of casualties.
• President Faustin Archange Touadéra declared three days of national mourning and the Ministry of Education has opened a formal inquiry into the tragedy.
• Exams at the Bangui testing center have been suspended and security forces from Minusca, police and gendarmes have been deployed around the school and nearby medical facilities.