Regarding the incident of the school gate collapse that killed two brothers, Mr. Duong Van Hung, Principal of Nam Muoi Boarding Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities (Son Luong commune, Lao Cai province) said that the school is currently coordinating with the authorities to investigate and clarify the cause and has not yet reached a final conclusion.
Mr. Hung said that around April 2025, during the construction of the school's 7 subject classrooms (from September 2024 to June 2025), a vehicle carrying materials from the construction unit collided and broke about 40cm of the left gate tower (the tower collapsed in the incident). After that, the construction unit fixed the problem, the school checked again and found it safe.
At the beginning of the new school year, the school had a plan to renovate some facilities, but the school gate area was not subject to repair because no signs of cracking or unsafety were detected.
"Regarding the school gate area, the school's teachers do not have expertise to assess whether it is of poor quality or not. Even at the beginning of the new year, teachers climbed up to place banners and slogans on the two pillars but did not see any shaking phenomenon," said the Principal of Nam Muoi Boarding Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities.
According to Lao Dong, at the campus of Nam Muoi Boarding Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities, a pillar fell and broke from the gate to the school campus. bricks and debris are scattered everywhere, mortar is scattered, pillars are not made of concrete or steel.
Meanwhile, the school gate is quite old, built in early 2010. Immediately after the incident, the school held a review meeting, disseminated experiences; and coordinated with the family to arrange the funeral, initially supporting 10 million VND.
Mr. Pham Nguyen Binh, Chairman of the People's Committee of Son Luong Commune, Lao Cai Province, said that the school gate was built a long time ago, and it is difficult to assess whether the school gate is degraded or not with the naked eye due to being painted and covered with asphalt.
The Department of Construction has inspected and concluded that the school gate was built with old bricks interspersed with new bricks. However, the direct cause of the collapse of the pillar still has to wait for the professional agency to conclude.
Right before the new school year, the commune held a meeting with schools in the area, requesting the review, coverage, and repair of degraded items to ensure the safety of students. However, the school has not reported on the risks related to the school gate, said Mr. Binh.
On the side of the Department of Education and Training of Lao Cai province, Mr. Luyen Huu Chung, Deputy Director, said that the unit has issued a document directing schools across the province to review, re-inspect facilities, construction items, and promptly repair them to ensure the safety of students.
Previously, at around 6:20 p.m. on September 19, in Son Luong commune, Lao Cai province, an accident occurred, killing two young children, Ban Phuc L, born in 2017 and Ban Phuc Tr, born in 2020 (both children of a family in Nam Muoi village).
At that time, the two children went to play together at the gate of Nam Muoi Boarding Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities. Here, the two children climbed up and swung into the iron gate, when suddenly one of the gate pillars fell on them and killed them both.
According to the Board of Directors, normally after the end of the class, the school gate is locked. But on the day of the incident, the school security handed over the key to someone else to serve the pumping of water, watering the trees and the gate would be locked at around 7pm. However, the tragic incident occurred at 6:20 p.m.
