At least 35 private school students in Chennai have been hospitalized due to breathing difficulties due to a suspected gas leak

CHENNAI: Around 35 students of Victory Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Thiruvottiyur were rushed to nearby hospitals on Friday after they reported difficulty breathing and some reportedly fainted due to an alleged gas leak with unpleasant smell.

While nearly 20 are still being treated at various hospitals, others have been discharged after outpatient treatment.

According to the students, the unpleasant smell has been observed for the last two days. They said the students developed a sore throat and difficulty breathing due to the unusual smell around 12:30 p.m. on Friday.

Although they informed teachers, they reportedly only provided hot water to students in response. However, around 2:30 p.m., students from classes 6 to 10 on a particular floor started fainting one by one, prompting teachers to rush them to the nearby government hospital in Theradi.

Meanwhile, parents who gathered near the school and hospital expressed outrage that they were not informed of their children's situation until 4 p.m.