People who live nearby said that attendance seemed to have been dwindling.

"Killed when they tried to run away with their sons," one of the women from the crowd standing nearby said.

An army commander standing nearby then said that "not a single student was killed."

Another boy nearby said innocently, "You don't want to be his friend?"

More followed and he said to a man standing nearby, "I remember you, you were the history teacher."

But residents and merchants nearby said little work had been done.

Workers nearby said they had not seen him fall and only noticed the commotion when the police arrived at the scene.

The sign nearby said, "Man is nothing but these chemicals."

A voice nearby said, "Got enough of that left for me?

A woman living nearby said she saw "a very great deal of blood".