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Photo Courtesy of KRT
Emergency personnel work into the night to clear away debris from the collapsed log bonfire at Texas A&M University.
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Tragedy at Texas university claims 11 lives |
by Brian Campbell
Assistant Editor |
Disaster struck a well-known college campus Thursday, Nov. 18, when 11 students were killed and 28 injured at Texas A&M University.
A 40 foot pyramid of logs being built for a bonfire collapsed at approximately 2:30 a.m. while around 70 students were working on it.
The search for victims had ended Friday. As of then, four of the injured were in critical condition and three were on life support.
Injuries ranged from minor cuts and bruises to broken bones and internal bleeding, according to doctors.
The bonfire has been a tradition at the campus at College Station, Texas since 1909. It was intended to get students worked up for the football game against rival University of Texas and the ceremony has attracted crowds of up to 70,000 each year.
The fire was to have been lit on Thanksgiving, the day before the game, but has since been called off. This will be the first time it has been canceled since 1963, following President Kennedy’s assassination.
Students work on the bonfire for weeks before the game, and the wedding-cake tier structure is designed to twist inward and collapse on itself as it burns.
The Texas A&M newspaper, The Battalion, reported that witnesses say a crane, (which lifted logs onto the bonfire), may have hit the stack too hard, causing the collapse. University officials dismissed this as a rumor.
Many witnesses said they heard the 100-foot center pole crack, but university officials said it could be weeks before a final determination is reached on the cause of the collapse.
Roland Allen, a physics professor at Texas A&M told the Chronicle “They should continue the tradition, safely and with respect for the environment. I think it’s very obvious that they should use a permanent metal pole in the centre, inserted into a concrete base. Even then, there would still be risks.”
The disaster shocked everyone, including Columbia students. “It’s awful. I know people who went there. It’s so sad, 11 people dying like that, students coming together to raise school spirit and to support their football team. I hope that [the tragedy] will bring people together,” said Robin Watson, an Early Childhood Education major.
“It’s terrible. I have three friends that go there, and I haven’t seen the names of the 11 dead yet. In my opinion, when building a 40 foot high bonfire, you’re bound to have danger. To build it and see it collapse...they should have seen it coming,” said Griffin Baron, a Sound minor.
Some students think the tragedy could have been prevented: “They should have been more careful. They must have been in a rush to get it done. It should have been planned out more, with safety precautions. It’s a tragedy, but it’s not like Columbine. This was more of a man-made tragedy,” said Joe Suta, a Photo major.
Texas A&M president Ray Bowen said, in published reports, that he was 99 percent confident that safety measures taken this year were adequate, but that changes in the bonfire’s construction may be necessary. He said that calls for the 90-year-old bonfire tradition to be ended should be “made at a calmer time. Our whole community is deeply hurt and harmed,” he said.
The Battalion, warned people not to point fingers at this stage. “It would be wrong to turn this tragedy into an opportunity for loud debate. The lives lost are worth much more than arguments.”
A memorial service took place Thursday night, with former President George Bush among the thousands who were paying their respects.
Sylvia Rosales, a Texas A&M spokesperson told the Chronicle: “[Thursday] the atmosphere was shock, but today [Friday] we’re trying to cope. After it happened, students were busy trying to help with the rescue efforts, but now it’s hit us full force and we’re just trying to get over the feeling of emptiness.” She said that it was up to president Bowen to decide if the tradition should continue. She said the matter is still being investigated and classes are continuing. |
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