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| Central African Republic exam crush: Panic following blast leaves 29 pupils dead in Bangui | Central African Republic exam crush: Panic following blast leaves 29 pupils dead in Bangui |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Students from five different schools had gone to the Lycée Barthélémy Boganda to sit the baccalaureate exam (file photo) | |
| Twenty-nine children who were taking their school exams in the Central African Republic have been killed in a crush after a nearby explosion caused panic, a hospital director told the BBC. | Twenty-nine children who were taking their school exams in the Central African Republic have been killed in a crush after a nearby explosion caused panic, a hospital director told the BBC. |
| The blast, on the second day of the high-school finals on Wednesday, occurred at an electricity transformer, said Abel Assaye from the Bangui community hospital. | The blast, on the second day of the high-school finals on Wednesday, occurred at an electricity transformer, said Abel Assaye from the Bangui community hospital. |
| "The noise of the explosion, combined with smoke" caused alarm among the almost 6,000 students sitting the baccalaureate at a school in the capital, Bangui, local radio station Ndeke Luka reported. | |
| President Faustin-Archange Touadéra has declared a period of national mourning. | President Faustin-Archange Touadéra has declared a period of national mourning. |
| He also ordered that the more than 280 who were wounded in the crush get free treatment in hospital. | He also ordered that the more than 280 who were wounded in the crush get free treatment in hospital. |
| Students from five different schools in the capital had gone to the Lycée Barthélémy Boganda to sit the baccalaureate exam. | |
| The CAR continues to face political instability and security challenges. | The CAR continues to face political instability and security challenges. |
| Government forces, backed by Russian mercenaries, are battling armed groups threatening to overthrow Touadéra's administration | Government forces, backed by Russian mercenaries, are battling armed groups threatening to overthrow Touadéra's administration |
| Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent. | Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent. |
| Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica | Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica |