300 kids at UP school inhale toxic gas, fall sick

Lucknow: More than 300 students of Saraswati Shishu Mandir in Shamli district of Uttar Pradesh fell sick on Tuesday due to chemical fumes from a neighbouring sugar mill.

The students were rushed to district hospital following complaints of uneasiness in breathing, stomach-ache and bitterness in mouth.

In a statement issued late on Tuesday, the sta-te government claimed that only 49 children had been affected by the gas leak and eight children had been hospitalised.

However, visuals shown on various TV channels contradicted the government claim as a large number of children were seen in hospitals.

Shamli’s chief medical officer Raj Kumar said that most of the children were discharged after first aid and some life-saving injections.

He said that three students were still under observation in hospital, adding that 36 students were referred to private hospitals for advanced treatment.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered an inquiry .

Shamli district magistrate Indra Vikram Singh said that an odour linked to routine cleaning of the sugar mills made the students nauseous.