Accidental explosion kills trainer, injures 26 students
A trainer was killed and 26 secondary school students suffered minor injuries in an explosion accident on January 24 morning during a military-tactics training drill at a secondary school in northern Oudomxay province, a police officer said. The tragedy happened as the trainer, Military First Lieutenant Somphone brought both real and fake grenades to the training course held at a secondary school in Xay district. The trainer accidentally took the real grenade and pulled its pin as he was demonstrating how to use the grenade. First lieutenant Somphone later realised that the grenade he had pulled the pin on was a real one and he then used himself to cover the grenade to protect the students, Chief of Police Headquarters of the district, Lieutenant Colonel Maidaeng Khampanya told Vientiane Times .
