At least 28 students of a municipal school in Delhi fell ill after allegedly inhaling toxic gases following a suspected "gas leak" incident on Friday. According to officials, the incident occurred in Naraina and students were rushed to hospitals with two of them requiring oxygen support.
Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi said that students, including the two girls who were placed on oxygen support at the Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital, are out of danger. Durgesh Pathak, the MCD incharge for the Aam Aadmi Party, who met the ill students at hospitals, stated that it is alleged that the gas leaked from a train that was passing the railway tracks nearby.
What MCD said about the gas leak?
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), in a statement, said, "The gas leak occurred at the nearby railway tracks." However, the Railways said they have not received any report of gas leaks from any station and asserted that their wagons never transport any toxic gas that may pose a health hazard.
In a statement, the MCD said that 19 students were admitted to RML Hospital and nine to Acharya Bhikshuk Hospital. Police said they received a call about some students falling sick and vomiting at Nigam Pratibha Vidyalaya in Inderpuri. "According to the initial assessment, a foul smell filled some classrooms, which made the children feel sick. Apparently, the children had just eaten. The smell has subsided, but as a precaution, all classrooms have been vacated," Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Vichitra Veer said.
MCD orders to probe the incident
Following the incident, officials from the civic health department rushed to the two hospitals and the school. The education department of the MCD is also on the job, the official added. "We will probe at our level too to find out what caused this incident," the senior official said. Meanwhile, the MCD said officials have been directed to probe the incident and find the cause as well as the source of the gas leak.
Later in the day, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva met the students at RML hospital. He said neither the students nor the teachers were able to say what caused the incident and the civic body should probe the matter. "The students said they were sitting in their classroom when they got a very strong smell which caused vomiting and unconsciousness," the BJP leader added.
(With PTI inputs)
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