December 7, 2009, 8 schoolchildren were killed and 26 others were seriously injured in the stampede in one of the private-run schools in Xiangxiang, Hunan Province, China.

The accident occurred at around 9:10 p.m., after the evening classes at school, Chinese Xinhua agency reports.

The students were surging towards a staircase a girl fell down and caused others to lose their balance and fall in a 3 to 5m2 area. There are seven boys and one girl among the victims. Presently, health state of 5 children is esteemed as grave.

Tuesday, the Xiangxiang CPC committee dismissed the city's education chief Zhu Qinghua from his position.

The 12-year-old Yucai Middle School is considered one of the best schools in Xiangxiang with 3.500 students.

The investigation is conducted to clarify the accident causes.

L.A.