Four die in school wall collapse

By Lydia Chen  |   2008-6-17  |     ONLINE EDITION

FOUR students were killed and eight injured yesterday when a wall in a middle school in southern China collapsed after days of torrential rain in the region, China National Radio reported today.

The wall beside the canteen of the Liubao Town Junior Middle School in Cangwu County of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region suddenly collapsed at around 5:45pm yesterday, burying 12 students who happened to be passing by at that time, the report said.

Three of the injured are in a serious condition, it said.

China has suffered floods across its south that have killed at least 57 people and forced 1.27 million to move to safer ground in recent days.

The floods have been especially heavy in the southern province of Guangdong which is home to many export businesses.

By Sunday at least 20 people in Guangdong had died in the floods, eight were missing, and more than 4,800 houses had collapsed. Close to 240,000 residents in the province have been moved to safety.