Janjivan Bureau / Lucknow : At least 150 students of Shamli’s Saraswati Shishu Mandir were rushed to the district hospital with uneasiness in breathing, stomach-ache and bitterness in the mouth following alleged release of chemical fumes from a neighbouring sugar mill.
According to Shamli Chief Medical Officer Dr Raj Kumar, most of the children were discharged after first aid and some life-saving injections. He said three students were still admitted to the district hospital and were under observation.
Panicky parents of at least 36 admitted students requested the doctors of the district hospital to refer their wards to other private hospitals for a second opinion.
“They had no serious problem but due to the nervousness of their parents we acceded to their request and have referred them to private hospitals in Muzaffarnagar and elsewhere,” said Dr Singh.
He did not want to hazard a guess about the exact cause of the poisonous fumes which caused the students’ sickness.
“This would be ascertained only after a proper investigation which is the duty of the district administration,” he said.
However, Shamli district magistrate Indra Vikram Singh downplayed the incident. He claimed that in a routine cleaning of a nearby sugar mill some odour came out making three to four students nauseous.
