Fourteen Saudi schoolgirls died on Monday in a stampede in Mecca as they attempted to flee from their school after a fire broke out, a security official said.
More than 50 others were wounded, however many were released from hospital after receiving treatment, the official told AFP. "No one died of the fire. The girls rushed to the gate to escape and the victims were trampled to death," the official explained.
Governor of Mecca region Prince Abdul Majeed bin Abdul Aziz visited the injured girls in the hospital and later went to the school to inspect it. Eyewitnesses said that the main gate of the school could not be opened immediately because the key was with the male guard who was away.
All girls' schools in Saudi Arabia are closed from outside and the keys are kept with male guards to prevent strangers from entering and girls from leaving without proper authorization. (Albawaba.com)
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