Traumatized kids go back to class
14/6/2005 7:17
The surviving students at the Shalan Central Primary School in
northeast China's Heilongjiang Province - who lost dozens of friends when a
mountain flood swept through their classrooms last Friday - resumed their
education yesterday morning.
A source at the municipal education bureau in
Ning'an City said 150 pupils went to classes at 8am at the Shalan Middle
School.
Teachers from the nearby city of Mudanjiang gave lessons on disease
prevention and psychological health.
The provincial education department and
Mudanjiang education bureau provided teaching materials, desks and chairs to the
pupils while the Ning'an education bureau brought school bags, stationery and
eating utensils for the children. Meanwhile, the school is being rebuilt.
As
of yesterday morning, 88 students from the primary school and at least four
others were killed when a torrent of water triggered by heavy rains swept down a
mountain and crashed through the school's classrooms.
At least 25 people were
hospitalized for injuries suffered in the flooding, including 17
students.
Rescue workers yesterday were still searching the ruins for 17
missing students as truckloads of relief materials arrived.
Some 400 tents
were set up for displaced villagers, and medical workers were helping the
injured.
At least two area officials are under investigation for negligence.
Huang Mingjun, Shalan's Communist Party secretary, and Li Zuoyu, the police
chief, allegedly failed to organize a timely rescue after the
flood.
Xinhua
|
