Stampede in Xinjiang school hurts 41 children

At least 41 students were injured on Monday in a mad rush to a primary school playground in the Xinjiang autonomous region, state media reported. The students of Aksu No 5 Primary School were reportedly going downstairs for after-class exercises when some lost their footing, triggering a stampede. Students were squeezed against the handrails, while some were forced by momentum to step on others who had fallen on the stairs. A school staff member said the school building is "old". He said the stair steps are about 1.5 meters wide and the steel bars of the handrails were bent after the stampede. No deaths were reported, though more than 170 students were rushed to hospital after the incident. Authorities have launched an investigation and ordered school safety inspections.