CHENNAI: Around 35 students from Victory Matriculation Higher Secondary school in Thiruvottiyur were taken to nearby hospitals on Friday after they reported difficulty in breathing and some fainted reportedly due an alleged gas leak with unpleasant odour.
While nearly 20 are still receiving treatment at various hospitals, others were discharged after being treated as outpatients.
According to the students, the unpleasant smell was observed for the past two days. They said that on Friday, the students developed irritation in their throats and breathing difficulties due to the unusual smell at around 12:30 pm.
Despite informing the teachers, they reportedly provided only hot water to the students in response. However, at around 2:30pm, students from Class 6 to 10 along the in one particular floor began fainting one by one, prompting the teachers to take them to the nearby government hospital in Theradi.
Meanwhile, parents who gathered near the school and the hospital expressed their outrage that they were not informed about their children’s situation until 4 pm.
When TNIE contacted a senior GCC senior official, he stated that the incident looked like a gas leak from the school laboratory. However, it can't be confirmed at the moment since enquiry is underway. He said that, of around 30 students, except one, all are in stable condition. One female student was transferred to Government Stanley Hospital for further treatment, the official noted.
Thiruvottiyur MLA KP Shankar visited the Tsunami Relief Government Hospital, where the students were admitted and assured all treatment-related expenses would be taken care by the government.
Police officials who inspected the site stated that chances are very less that any gas leak from the laboratory from the school would affect the students as the lab was located on the left side of the building which is opposite to where the area where most students were affected. However investigation is still on to find the cause of incident.