On June 11th, a netizen revealed that solar photovoltaic panels fell from the rooftop of a primary school in Dezhou, Shandong province, hitting 4 students, resulting in the death of one student. The official statement, however, mentioned that 3 students were struck, with 1 fatality. Authorities shifted the blame to the weather conditions on that day, sparking dissatisfaction among netizens.
According to the post shared by a netizen on social media, the incident occurred at Gaohsia Center Primary School in Shentou Town, Lingcheng District, Dezhou City, Shandong Province. Four students were hit by the falling solar panels, with the netizen’s sister being one of them. Upon arrival at the hospital, the nurse informed the family that the bleeding had been stopped during the rescue efforts. However, after waiting for four hours, the family was told that the rescue was still ongoing. It was only when the family rushed into the emergency room that they discovered the person had already passed away, with the hospital artificially maintaining the heartbeat using a machine.
The netizen further mentioned that immediately after arriving in the ambulance, the family requested a transfer to another hospital. However, Lingcheng People’s Hospital declined the transfer request, citing the presence of the best doctors in their facility.
Reported by Yangzi Evening News, the location mentioned by the netizen, “Gaohsia Center Primary School” in Shentou Town, is known as Gaohsia Center Primary School. According to the netizen, solar panels were installed on the roof of the school in 2017.
On June 11th, a reporter from Purple Cow News contacted the Lingcheng District Education and Sports Bureau regarding the incident. The staff members responded that the situation needed to be reported through the local propaganda department, which would issue a unified statement. A staff member from the Shentou Town government in Lingcheng District mentioned that the incident occurred on the afternoon of June 9th, with one student confirmed to have passed away.
In the afternoon of June 11th, the Shentou Town government announced that on the evening of June 9th, the town experienced severe convective extreme weather with wind speeds exceeding level 11. Three students from Gaohsia Center Primary School were injured by falling objects from high altitude, with two students sustaining minor injuries and one student unfortunately succumbing to ineffective treatment.
However, local netizens contradicted this official account, saying, “Two with minor injuries? My niece is still in the ICU!” The incident has sparked heated discussions online, with netizens expressing various opinions and questions.
Some netizens commented, “According to the report, this is blamed on the heavens. They are always blameless.” “Blaming the strong wind? Who installed the solar panels?” “Why were solar panels installed at the school? Why were classes conducted at night in the primary school? With strong winds forecasted, why not prioritize safety and dismiss classes early? Do these practices comply with the regulations of the Ministry of Education?”
“Installing solar panels on the school roof doesn’t comply with regulations.” “Why were the solar panels installed at the school? Investigate the school principal!”
Others mentioned, “The information is being kept secret, and we wouldn’t know about it if it hadn’t been leaked.” “Initially, they said 4 students, now it’s 3, how many students were actually involved?”