2024-04-19 08:43:38
The toll of the tragedy suddenly increased in Bas-Rhin. A 12-year-old girl died after having a heart attack during confinement at her school, following the stabbing of two other girls near a school and a square in the town of Souffelweyersheim , near Strasbourg, the rectorate announced this Friday.
“She was rescued by teachers who quickly called the fire services. She died at the end of the afternoon,” the rector of the academy, Olivier Faron, explained to AFP.
“We are devastated, speechless,” Georges Schuler, the mayor of Reichstett, where the schoolgirl lives, told AFP on Friday. “There is an ongoing investigation, I cannot tell you whether this young girl had a heart condition or not.”
Reinforced security
Thursday afternoon, an alert was launched by the director of the town’s primary school after two schoolgirls were attacked with a knife outside the establishment by an individual with a psychiatric history. In addition to the school, a college a few dozen meters away was also confined.
“We have implemented the containment procedure. The teachers did it in an extremely precise and rigorous manner and unfortunately this schoolgirl experienced an episode of very strong stress which resulted in this cardiac arrest,” indicated the rector.
Friday morning, several police officers were on duty in front of the establishment, where supervisors were ushering in the schoolchildren. The presence of the gendarmerie near schools has been reinforced, according to Jean-Baptiste Peyrat, chief of staff of the prefect of Bas-Rhin.
“The mobile security team of the rectorate is present”, as well as the medical-psychological emergency unit with psychiatrists and psychologists, specified Olivier Faron. “The day will be dedicated to listening and showing solidarity to try to overcome what is a terrible ordeal.”
The college will also be open on Monday, the first day of the school holidays, to offer reception and a listening service to families who request it.
An investigation into the conditions of the tragedy
The attack occurred near the Dannenberger primary school, which is close to the Sept Arpents college, where the deceased teenager attended school. During the attack, the establishment was confined in the same way as the primary school. During this period of time, a 4th grade student suffered a heart attack, indicated the prefect of Bas-Rhin in a press release at the end of the afternoon.
She received first aid on the spot, before the Samu intervened. She was transported “in serious condition” to the Hautepierre emergency room in Strasbourg, authorities said, before dying in hospital.
“Investigations will have to be carried out to determine under what conditions this (cardiac) arrest occurred,” declared Strasbourg public prosecutor Yolande Renzi on Thursday. “These are well-established procedures, we work very closely with the prefecture, we were present on site extremely quickly,” assured the rector. “There is no perfect solution and we will analyze in depth what happened. If there are lessons to be learned, we will learn them. But the teachers really did what was necessary,” he said.
Questioned by France Bleu before the announcement of the teenager’s death, the city’s mayor Pierre Perrin said he was “very upset” to learn that she had been unwell. “I think of his parents, of his brother,” he declared. He also indicated that he had informed the mayor of the neighboring town of Reichstett, where the young girl was domiciled according to him.
The two girls affected were slightly injured
The two young minors affected by the stabbings had “light physical injuries” and quickly left the hospital, according to the Strasbourg prosecutor’s office on Friday. One, aged 11, was attacked in front of the school, while the other, aged 6, was attacked in a square nearby. The primary school was gradually deconfined: around 4 p.m., parents were able to start joining their children in the playground, before being able to leave the premises.
The attacker, aged 30 according to our information, had not entered the school premises. He was quickly arrested after the attack. The gendarmerie indicated that the suspect was unknown to the justice system and had never been accused of radicalization. “There is no evidence to link these attacks to a terrorist act,” said the prosecutor.
An investigation is underway, according to the chief of staff of the prefect Jean-Baptiste Peyrat. Contacted, the Strasbourg public prosecutor only confirmed that the suspect was placed in police custody.
Psychiatric problems
According to a source close to the case, the attacker born in 1994 suffers from psychiatric problems. This young man had spent three stays in adapted structures and was being monitored, but he had stopped his treatment since November 2023. He disappeared on Wednesday evening, when he was in a suicidal state. The man had already attempted suicide in 2022.
An investigation into “attempted intentional homicide of minors aged 15 (and rebellion)” has been opened.
“The motivations of the main suspect remain unknown at this stage,” said the prosecution, which cited “psychiatric fragilities” and considered “that there is no evidence to link these attacks to a terrorist act.”
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