A statement released by the official WeChat account of the Chongqing Municipal Education Commission on May 22, 2025. Photo: Screenshot from the WeChat account

A university student in Southwest China's Chongqing died after falling into a septic tank. Local authorities have formed a joint investigation team and released a statement on Monday, which said the manhole of the septic tank had major safety hazards at the time of the incident and the deputy head of the university has been dismissed from his post.

According to the statement issued on the official Wechat account of the Chongqing Municipal Education Commission, the incident occurred at 3:51 pm on Monday, when Zhang, a freshman at Chongqing College of International Business and Economics, fell into a septic tank after finishing a physical education class and passing by the lawn near the pathway next to the basketball court in Campus B. 

Despite rescue efforts by the school, fire department, and medical personnel, Zhang unfortunately did not survive. 

Following the incident, local education commission and the local government launched a joint investigation. The investigation found that the manhole of the septic tank posed serious safety hazards at the time of the incident and that the university bore significant responsibility for failing to manage campus safety.

The university has dismissed its deputy head, surnamed Li, and has taken serious legal action against the heads of relevant departments in accordance with regulations.

The investigation team has urged the university to handle follow-up matters properly and conduct a comprehensive inspection and rectification of campus safety hazards, said the statement.

The statement stressed the importance of safety and said schools across the city are conducting similar inspections to prevent such tragedies from happening again. 

Global Times