On January 19 last year, a fire broke out in the dormitory of the Yongcai School in Fangcheng County, Henan Province, causing the tragic deaths of 13 people and injuring 4 others. Nearly two years have passed since the fire, but the official accident investigation report has yet to be released. The parents of the deceased students have sued in court, but the hearings have been postponed twice.
One of the victims was the son of Fan Yonggui, who has been tirelessly seeking justice for his son over the past two years. Fan Yonggui revealed that government officials responsible for handling the matter had informed him that the school’s campus fire safety management was inadequate and that there were issues with the fire safety facilities.
However, various levels of government departments have not provided written accident investigation reports to the families of the victims. Fan Yonggui stated that information regarding the cause and details of the accident was only conveyed verbally by public officials, and family members were not allowed to record the conversations.
Fan Yonggui said that he had repeatedly raised concerns to relevant departments, but was told that information involving “minors” would not be made public. The prosecutor’s office has only charged the school’s legal representative, principal, and homeroom teacher with the crime of a major safety accident in an educational facility.
Fan Yonggui, who has only completed junior high school education, has taken the initiative to study legal books and draft multiple lawsuits in order to seek justice. On October 23 this year, he received a summons from the Fangcheng County Court for the trial related to the “major safety accident in an educational facility” case, scheduled for October 29.
During discussions with his lawyer about the case, the court postponed the trial due to the lawyer’s unavailability. On November 20, he received another summons from the court, further delaying the trial to November 24.
Fan Yonggui expressed his frustration, stating, “It has been over a year since the incident, our demand is simple – we just want the relevant departments to disclose the investigation results.”
The incident occurred on the evening of January 19, 2024, when a fire broke out in the third-floor boys’ dormitory of the Yongcai School in Dushuzhen, Fangcheng County (a privately-run boarding school), resulting in the deaths of 13 students and injuries to 4 others. The average age of the students was only 9 years old.
Following the incident, many parents of the deceased students rushed to the school, but were informed that they had to sign an agreement before they could see their children’s bodies. The agreement stipulated compensation payments but required the families to waive all legal rights and maintain confidentiality in exchange for receiving the compensation.
Allegedly, the school’s support team hinted that if the agreement was not signed, the parents would not be able to see their children, and signing late would result in reduced compensation.
On January 22 of that year, under pressure, the parents of the deceased students reluctantly signed the agreement and were allowed to see their children at the funeral home. They later received the promised compensation.
Regarding the questions surrounding the investigation report and compensation agreement, attempts by news reporters to contact local authorities for information were rebuffed.
The case has sparked widespread attention online, with many netizens expressing disbelief at the lack of transparency. Following the public outcry, on December 15 this year, the 696th day after the fire, the families of the victims received notice of a court trial scheduled for December 19.