At around 6:15 a.m., a 10-meter flamboyant tree of more than 50 years old in the yard of Bach Dang Secondary School in District 3 toppled and fell on a group of 13 sixth grade students sitting under it, Nguyen Van Phuc, the school principal, said.

Adults call for help as students are stuck under an uprooted tree at Bach Dang Secondary School in District 3, HCMC, May 26, 2020.

Tran Hong Vu, a father, witnessed what he described as "chaotic" when he brought his child to school this morning. "I just arrived at the gate when I heard the thundering sound of the falling tree. Then many students were screaming. The school yard was in chaos."

Teachers and parents quickly pulled the students out, and ambulances took them to the Children’s Hospital No.2.

At around 9 a.m. one of the victims, who has not been identified by the school, succumbed to his injuries and died. More than 20 police officers cordoned off the scene of the tragedy.

Anxious parents flocked to the school to find out if their children were alright, but could not reach the management.

Lam Gia Minh, a boy who suffered scratches from the incident, said he was sitting with friends near the tree when he heard cracks. Then suddenly the tree fell towards them. "I was scared, I just remembered that other students screamed a lot and the adults ran over," Minh said.

At nearly 11 a.m. the school informed parents of their children's conditions. Its representatives refused to comment on the incident.

Many parts of the city, especially Districts 1, 3, 5, and 10, had received heavy rainfall on Monday afternoon.

After a prolonged break since the Lunar New Year festival in late January due to the Covid-19 pandemic, over 22 million students only returned to school this month. Sixth graders came back to school two weeks ago.

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Source: VnExpress