
On March 2, 2021, between seven and eight students died after falling from the fourth floor of the Public University of El Alto in Bolivia. The incident occurred when a railing gave way under the weight of dozens of students who were attempting to enter an assembly hall. The assembly was not permitted due to the pandemic. The victims were identified as Raúl Cadena, Genio Mamani, Saúl Mamani, Daniel Rodríguez, Anahí Chipana, Loida Sosa, and Tania Roque. Four other students were also hospitalized with serious injuries.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of Incident | March 2, 2021 |
| Location | University Public of El Alto, Bolivia |
| Number of Students Who Fell | 11 |
| Number of Deaths | 7 or 8 |
| Number Injured | 4 or 5 |
| Floor They Fell From | Fourth Floor |
| Reason | Metal railing gave way under the weight of students |
| Age of Deceased | Between 20 and 24 |
| Gender of Deceased | 4 men and 3 women |
| Names of Deceased | Anahí, Gemio, Raúl, Saúl, Tania, Loyda, and Limber |
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What You'll Learn

The incident: railing gave way under weight of students
On March 2, 2021, a tragic incident occurred at the Public University of El Alto in Bolivia, also known as the University of El Alto. During a student assembly, a large group of students crowded onto a fourth-floor balcony, and in the confusion and jostling, the metal railing gave way under their weight. This resulted in a devastating fall to the concrete floor below.
The incident claimed the lives of seven students: Anahí Gemio, Raúl Cadena, Genio Mamani, Saúl Mamani, Daniel Rodríguez, Loida Sosa, and Tania Roque. Six students died at the scene, while the seventh, Tania Roque, passed away later in the hospital. Four other students were also seriously injured and hospitalized: Limbert Lucana, Lino Paredes, Carla Quispe, and Ascencia Verástegui. The injured and deceased students were between the ages of 20 and 24, with the majority being in their early twenties.
Footage and eyewitness accounts describe a chaotic scene, with students crammed into a narrow passageway and balcony. As protests and pushing ensued, the railing suddenly gave way, sending several students plummeting to the floor below. In the midst of the tragedy, some students clung to one another, desperately trying to avoid the same fate.
The incident sparked outrage and calls for an investigation. The parents of the students criticized the university for holding an assembly that was not permitted due to the pandemic, and for endangering the students by allowing such a large crowd to gather in a restricted space. The Bolivian government responded by ordering an investigation into the incident, with the university also conducting its own internal review.
The University of El Alto community and the nation of Bolivia were left reeling from the tragedy, with the loss of so many young lives. The investigation aimed to shed light on the exact circumstances that led to the incident and to prevent similar occurrences in the future, ensuring the safety of students on university campuses across the country.
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Location: University Public of El Alto, Bolivia
On March 2, 2021, a tragic incident occurred at the University Public of El Alto in Bolivia, resulting in the deaths of several students. The university, located in the city of El Alto, near La Paz, was the site of a devastating accident that shocked the nation and prompted calls for an investigation.
The incident took place during a student assembly that was not officially permitted due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic restrictions. Despite this, the Student Centre called for an extraordinary student assembly, resulting in a large gathering of students in the university's financial sciences building. Footage and eyewitness accounts describe a confused fight involving dozens of students crammed into a narrow passageway on an internal balcony, attempting to enter the assembly hall on the fourth floor.
During the commotion, the metal railing on the balcony gave way under the weight of the pushing and shoving students. Several students plummeted to the floor below, while others desperately clung to their fellow students to avoid falling. The incident resulted in a devastating loss of life, with initial reports of five deaths, later revised to seven confirmed fatalities. The victims were identified as Anahí Chipana, Genio Mamani, Raúl Cadena, Saúl Mamani, Daniel Rodríguez, Loida Sosa, and Tania Roque. Four other students were also wounded in the accident.
The Bolivian government responded swiftly to the accident, with Interior Minister Eduardo del Castillo reporting on the incident via Twitter. The Health Minister, Jayson Auza, confirmed the final death toll and the critical state of the injured students in hospitals in El Alto. The university announced it would conduct an internal investigation while also collaborating with the authorities' investigation. The incident sparked outrage and grief throughout the country, with parents of the students criticizing the university for gathering children during pandemic restrictions.
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Date: March 2, 2021
On March 2, 2021, a tragic incident occurred at the Public University of El Alto in Bolivia, also known as the University of El Alto. During a student assembly, a large group of students crowded onto a fourth-floor balcony, and in the confusion and jostling, the metal railing gave way. This resulted in multiple students falling to the concrete floor below. The incident sparked outrage and calls for an investigation, as it occurred during a time when face-to-face classes were not permitted due to coronavirus restrictions.
The number of student deaths varies across sources, with some reporting five, others six, seven, or eight. The Health Minister, Jayson Auza, confirmed that seven people had died, and this number was also reported by the Interior Minister, Eduardo del Castillo, after initially reporting five deaths. The victims of the accident were named as Anahí, Gemio, Raúl, Saúl, Tania, Loyda, and Limber. Four other students were also wounded in the accident and hospitalized with serious injuries: Limbert Lucana, Lino Paredes, Carla Quispe, and Ascencia Verástegui.
The University of El Alto released a statement announcing an internal investigation into the accident and pledged to collaborate with the authorities' investigation. The Bolivian government ordered an investigation into the incident, and the students who fell were reported to be between the ages of 20 and 24.
The assembly was called by the Student Centre and was not sanctioned by the university. It resulted in a confused fight involving dozens of students, with video footage showing the students crammed into a narrow passageway. The university is located in El Alto, a city near La Paz, Bolivia.
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Victims: aged 20-24
On March 2, 2021, between seven and eight students died at the Public University of El Alto in Bolivia. The students fell from a fourth-floor balcony when a railing gave way under the weight of a large crowd. The students had been attempting to enter an assembly hall for an extraordinary student assembly. The assembly was not permitted due to the pandemic.
The victims of the accident were named as Anahí Chipana (or Gemio), Raúl Cadena, Genio Mamani, Saúl Mamani, Daniel Rodríguez, Loida Sosa (or Loyda), and Tania Roque. Six of the students died at the scene, while the seventh died later in hospital. Four other students were also wounded in the accident: Limbert Lucana, Lino Paredes, Carla Quispe, and Ascencia Verástegui.
The deceased and injured students were aged between 20 and 24. Six of the victims were reported to be between 21 and 23 years old.
The accident sparked outrage and calls for an investigation. Parents of the students criticised the university for gathering children for an assembly when there were no face-to-face classes due to coronavirus restrictions. The Bolivian government responded by ordering an investigation, and the university announced that it would conduct an internal investigation and collaborate with the authorities.
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Investigation: Parents criticised university for holding assembly during pandemic
On March 2, 2021, between seven and eight students died after falling from the fourth floor of the Public University of El Alto in Bolivia. The incident occurred when a railing gave way under the weight of dozens of students who were attempting to enter an assembly hall. The students had been attending an extraordinary student assembly, which was not permitted due to the pandemic, and resulted in protests and jostling that caused the railing to collapse.
The victims of the accident were named as Anahí, Gemio, Raúl, Saúl, Tania, Loyda, and Limber. Six of the students died at the scene, while the seventh died later in hospital. The students who died were four men and three women, aged between 20 and 24. Four other students were also wounded in the accident and hospitalized with serious injuries.
The accident occurred in the university's financial sciences building, where students were gathered to attend an assembly. Dramatic video footage of the accident showed a large group of students crowded onto a balcony when the railing gave way, causing several students to fall to the concrete floor below. Others clung to their fellow students to avoid falling.
The Bolivian government responded to the accident by ordering an investigation. Parents of the students criticized the university for gathering children for the assembly when there were no face-to-face classes due to coronavirus restrictions. The university announced that it would start an internal investigation into the accident and collaborate with the authorities' investigation.
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Frequently asked questions
Seven students died and four were injured at the Public University of El Alto in Bolivia.
The students died when they fell from the fourth floor after a railing broke during a student assembly.
The Bolivian government ordered an investigation into the accident. The university also announced that it would conduct an internal investigation and collaborate with the authorities.


























