Stone from quarry hits, kills pupil inside class
Part of the rock which was blasted, sending a stone that hit the pupil to death. PHOTO BY JOSEPHINE NNABBAALE
MUBENDE.
Shock and grief befell pupils and teachers of St Charles Katende Primary in Mubende District after a stone hit and killed a primary six pupil inside a classroom on Wednesday.
The stone particle flew during a rock blasting taking place at a quarry located along Mubende-Kakumiro highway in Kiyuni Sub County.
The deceased has been identified as Sylvia Gwoliranye, a 14-year-old.
Sarah Nakato and Shakira Nantongo, also pupils in Primary Six, narrate that they were seated inside the class when they suddenly heard a loud bang on the iron sheet and a huge stone landed onto Gwoliranye’s head, shattering it. She eventually died after losing a lot of blood.
Mr Joseph Lutwama, the father to the deceased pupil expressed disappointment with the school’s administration for keeping the children in the class on days blasts are expected to happen at the quarry.
He now demands that the family is compensated for the death of their child and has threatened to seek redress in court if the matter is not addressed. “Who is going to carry the responsibility of this loss of life? We demand clear explanations from the two parties concerned,” he said.
Chinese contractors at China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), which is working on Mubende-Kakumiro-Kagadi-Kibaale road, are blasting rocks in Mubende District to get the required stones for the ongoing works.
Mr Humphrey Musinguzi head of safety at CCCC however says before their teams carry out any rock blasting, they issue public safety precautions through various platforms to prevent such accidents.
“We did exactly the same today but unfortunately the stone that hit this pupil flew out of the normal distance of our estimated range. We had blocked around 250 metres on both the left and right sides of this particular rock however the stone unexpectedly flew and caused this regrettable accident,” Musinguzi noted, adding that they are going to reach out to the bereaved family.
Police took the body to Mubende regional referral hospital for a post –mortem. Further investigations into the matter are being carried out.
