JEDDAH, 5 October 2004 — Twenty-two schoolgirls were injured in a stampede in Makkah yesterday as they rushed to leave after a fire broke out in their school, a civil defense official said.
“Twenty-two girls were slightly injured when pupils rushed to leave the school to escape the fire,” Col. Jameel Omar, director of the Civil Defense Department in Makkah, told the Saudi Press Agency.
He said the fire broke out at the Um Salamah Qur’an Memorization School, a philanthropic institution with 250 students, mostly Africans.
“Initial investigations suggest that the fire resulted from a short circuit in an air conditioner on the second floor. ... Most of the injured are Saudis or African nationals,” the official said.
“The stampede occurred as the girls rushed to the school gate in panic,” Omar said, adding that the injuries were minor and none of the girls suffered burns. The department has launched an investigation into the circumstances that led to the accident. The school has been closed until further notice.
In March 2002, authorities sacked the head of girls’ education after 15 teenage girls burned to death and nearly 50 others were injured in a fire at their school, also in Makkah.
According to one report, 17 schoolgirls fainted in yesterday’s fire as a result of smoke inhalation. Omar said most of the injured received first-aid at the accident site. “Those who were taken to hospital have now left,” he added.
Four civil defense teams took part in the firefighting and rescue operations. An emergency was declared at all Makkah hospitals yesterday to deal with the situation.
