What we know about the death of a high school student during a baccalaureate exam in Lille

Nadir, a 19-year-old high school student, died on Tuesday after suffering a heart attack, in the middle of the baccalaureate exam at Gaston-Berger high school in Lille. While witnesses evoke a lack of responsiveness from the educational staff who supervised the event, a judicial inquiry as well as an administrative inquiry were opened on Thursday. Franceinfo summarizes what we know of the circumstances of the death of the young man.

A heart attack in the middle of the bac exam

The high school student was working on the economics specialty test for the STMG baccalaureate, Tuesday afternoon, at the Gaston Berger high school, when he felt bad. About 70 high school students were in this exam room. Victim of a heart attack, he was taken care of by the Samu, before being transported to the Lille University Hospital, where he died. “Rescue did everything they could”, testifies his father Tidjani Bekaddour-Benatia to France 3 Hauts-de-France. Called by the Gaston Berger high school at the time of the facts, he assures “that he was very surrounded”in the presence of firefighters and police, upon his arrival at the scene.

medical history

According to information from France 3, the high school student wore a pacemaker and was followed by the Lille CHR. Arrived in France at the age of three, the doctors of his country of origin then gave him a life expectancy of 5 years due to severe heart disease. The young man was finally able to be operated on in France and cured, according to the association “Les potes de Nadir” which became “A child, my battle”, which had accompanied him in his illness.

The responsiveness of supervisors called into question

Some witnesses, present at the time of the events, describe to France Bleu Nord a scene of chaos. They denounce a lack of responsiveness of the adults in charge of surveillance. Asked about this point Tidjani Bekaddour-Benatia, Nadir’s father, said to himself “surprised”. According to “the echoes“that he had when he arrived at the scene, his son had asked to leave the examination room when he felt unwell, but his request was refused.

Two open investigations

The Lille prosecutor has opened an investigation to find “causes of death” of the high school student. It is “to circumscribe very precisely the causes and circumstances of death”, writes Carole Etienne to France Bleu Nord. In addition, the Ministry of Education announced on Thursday that it had launched an administrative investigation on Wednesday. He seized the General Inspectorate “in order to assess the terms of care for this student before the arrival of help and the management of the crisis situation within the establishment”. The results are expected within a month. Pap Ndiaye, who offered his condolences to the family, will visit the establishment on Monday afternoon. A listening cell has also been activated for students and staff of the Gaston Berger high school.