Addis Ababa: A 12th grade student has died and several others were injured after a bridge linking two campuses of the Hawassa University in Sidama regional state collapsed on Monday.
Peace and security bureau head of the region, Alemayehu Temotewos, told local media that a student has died and two others have been critically injured while several others sustained mild injuries. Both the Ministry of Education and Hawassa University administration have announced this morning that injured students have been getting treatments at the Hawassa referral hospital.
The Bridge that links the University’s main campus with its technology institute collapsed due to overcrowding, according to a statement by the University. The University is hosting students from different parts of the country who are due to sit for university entrance exams.
The Ministry of Education said it was closely following the incident and called on families to not panic and students to remain calm and focus on their examinations. It assured that another schedule will be arranged for students who are unable to sit for the exam due to the accident.
Ethiopia started administering the national 12th grade secondary school leaving exam today and unlike before, students are required to travel to universities to take the exam. AS
