KAKINADA: A day after 18 students of Kendriya Vidyalaya at Valsapakala village in Kakinada Rural mandal fell ill, the officials are yet to ascertain the cause of the incident. While it was earlier suspected that they might have inhaled an unidentified gas, district Collector Kritika Shukla, who constituted a three-member expert panel on Tuesday to probe into the issue, said there was no evidence of any leakage of gas in the air.
“A report by the deputy chief inspector of factories and environmental engineer of AP Pollution Control Board (APPCB) stated that as per the air quality standards, no gases were released in the air near the school,’’ Shukla said. She also dismissed reports that the students fell ill after consuming contaminated food. “The students’ blood samples have been sent for tests and once the reports come, the reason for the students falling sick will be known,” the collector said.
Meanwhile, the students are still under observation at the Kakinada Government General hospital.The school remained closed on Wednesday as the expert team and medical officials inspected the premises and its surrounding areas. School Principal B Sekhar said the school was functioning in the premises of Kakinada public school with 10 rooms and around 480 students, studying in Classes 1 to 10. “There are no labs on the premises and industries are also very far from the school,” he added. Initially, two students complained of fever. Later, few others fell sick, the principal clarified that the chocolates distributed were not expired.