Pupils of school hit by flood return to classes
Ningan (AsiaNews/Scmp) - More than 100 pupils of a Heilongjiang primary school hit by a deadly flash flood last week have returned to their lessons amid a dispute between villagers and authorities over the death toll and compensation.
Local education official Xu Dejun said about 150 students of Shalan Township Central Elementary School in Ningan attended classes yesterday at Shalan Middle School.
Officials say 92 people - 88 students and four teachers - were killed when the elementary school was hit by a flash flood unleashed by torrential rain last Friday. Victims' parents have disputed the official death toll, saying about 200 people were killed, and have been protesting in Ningan since the weekend, calling for the truth.
When asked about the villagers' claims, Cao Yanbai , deputy director of Mudanjiang city's publicity department, said: "They're not true. We should believe the government. Our death toll is accurate, but we don't know how many people are missing. It has been hard to locate all the villagers, as some were scared away by the disaster."
More than 40 pupils are being treated in Ningan No2 People's Hospital, while others have been sent to hospitals in Mudanjiang.
The semi-official Xinhua news agency reported yesterday that the death toll could increase further, taking into account the number of missing people.
Ms Cao said the rescue operation was continuing and reconstruction work had already started. At least 200 million yuan will be needed to build a new school. The flooding and mudslides have caused economic losses of nearly 140 million yuan among 7,200 villagers in 3,100 households. About 1,300 hectares of farmland has been destroyed and the productivity of a further 1,000 hectares has been cut in half.
To show that he was willing to be held accountable for the disaster, Heilongjiang Governor Zhang Zuoji said he would shoulder responsibility and accept any punishment that the central government handed down, Xinhua reported.
Meanwhile, about 200 bereaved relatives maintained their vigil outside Ningan's funeral parlour to call for a government response to their demands for justice. Villagers accuse the authority of not having done enough to save lives.
Sun Yanling and her husband Wang Qijun rescued 19 children - from a 16-month-old baby to a five-year-old - all from a kindergarten they own and run. Mr Wang says: "When the flood hit, all I could think of was how to rescue those young lives. Thanks to my wife and a kind neighbour, we almost did it. It is sad that a four-year-old child was washed away and his body was found one day later". Ms Sun adds: "I cried and yelled for help. My kindergarten was only a few yards away from the township government. I saw some people standing at the top of a tall building watching us. But no one came to our aid. That child would not have died if only there was one more person to give us a hand. We have seen many irresponsible government officials and teachers this time but there were good-hearted people as well".
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22/09/2016 08:53
