Over 40 students were hospitalized after a gas leak at a school in Tiruvottiyur, north Chennai

Students were rushed to hospital following the gas leak at a school in Tiruvottiyur on Friday. | Photo credit: B. JOTHI RAMALINGAM

Over 40 students were admitted to hospitals on Friday following a gas leak in the laboratory of a school in Tiruvottiyur. Officials have yet to determine the cause of the leak.

According to police, the leak occurred in the chemistry laboratory of Victory Matriculation Higher Secondary School. As students in some classrooms were exposed to the gas, parents and relatives gathered on the premises.

Since several students reported breathing difficulties at 2:45 p.m., they were transferred to a nearby hospital. “Most of the students admitted were girls. Only one boy was admitted. All students are stable. By 9 p.m. most of the students were dismissed. Only five students are under observation,” said Manosh Kumar, a doctor at Tiruvottiyur Government Hospital.

“The students are not able to point out a specific gas. They said they felt a smell and shortness of breath. However, the saturation level was normal. Of the students taken to the hospital, only one boy was reportedly exposed to the gas,” he said.

Chennai city health officer Jagadeesan said all affected students were stable and no injuries were reported. “Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) officials visited the school to check what went wrong. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are also monitoring the situation,” he said.

Officials are yet to determine the cause of the gas leak. The Tamil Nadu police, revenue department and fire and rescue services are investigating.

Arumai Raj, a relative of one of the students, said the children had reported a similar smell for the past two days but the school management did not take it seriously and the situation worsened on Friday. Nazar Khan, another relative of a student, said many students also visited other private hospitals after the incident.

Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) officials visited the spot to provide emergency assistance and evacuation to residents, Dr said. Jagadeesan.

Two students were admitted to Government Stanley Medical College Hospital. Doctors said that inhaling the unknown gas brought them to the clinic with very mild shortness of breath. They underwent examinations, including x-rays, and were examined by the chief of respiratory medicine. Both are now stable, they added.