I ran out into the hallway , and joined a crowd going down the stairs . At the third floor , someone at the front of the crowd started saying we could n't get out . I shouted that we should at least go down and try : it 's better than standing in the stairwell . At the second floor , a woman was holding the stairwell door open , gesturing for us to follow . The student lounge was jam - packed , the wide - screen tv was turned on to CNN .

Question: Why were these students locked in ?
Answer: They were n't locked in , no one tried to get out .The people at CNN told them they had to stay to be safe .There was an emergency going on at the school .The woman was guarding the doors to make sure no one left .