DEYANG, China — A group of parents whose children were among the 127 killed in the collapse of an elementary school during the May earthquake that devastated western China have confirmed that they filed a lawsuit against government officials and a construction contractor. The lawsuit is the first filed by parents who say shoddy construction cost the children their lives.
Radio Free Asia reported the lawsuit in early December, but China’s official news media have not mentioned it. Over the weekend, the parents confirmed the filing in telephone interviews. They said the court has yet to tell them whether it will hear the case.
Up to 10,000 schoolchildren were killed as some 7,000 classrooms and dormitory rooms collapsed across the quake zone, according to government estimates.
