21 students inhale pesticide in Sharjah school, rushed to hospital

Twenty-one students of a private school in Sharjah were rushed to a hospital on Wednesday after inhaling pesticide that was sprayed in their classroom.

Authorities are investigating the case, and the school suspended classes until today for the safety of the students.
A top official at the Sharjah Police confirmed that all the students were discharged from the hospital after they received necessary treatments.
The police were alerted to the incident when the school management called the national ambulance for help as students started feeling uneasy.

Some of them were treated by the ambulance teams and provided with oxygen, while the others were rushed to the hospital.

The school hired a pest control company that was approved by the Sharjah Municipality to spray the pesticide in classrooms on Tuesday.

When students arrived at the school on Wednesday morning, many of them got affected by the chemical.

The police, in coordination with other authorities concerned, launched an investigation.
Vomitting, breathing difficulty
According to one of the staff members of the school, some of the children, especially the younger ones, started to vomit and feel breathing difficulties one hour after they entered the classroom from the assembly.

The school management contacted the ambulance, which arrived promptly and rushed the students to the hospital.

He said the pesticide was sprayed on Tuesday after the classes were dismissed.

A medical official at Al Qassimi Hospital said some of the students from kindergarten to upper classes — mostly girls — were discharged immediately after the treatment.

However, two children were admitted for a while to be under supervision, but were discharged after a few hours.

An official at the Sharjah Private Education Authority affirmed its concern for the safety of the students.

“We will not tolerate any failure that exposes students to danger,” he said.
Parents, guardians shocked
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Mona Al Tayeb said she was shocked to receive a call from the school to inform her about the case of her niece whose mother is offering Umrah in Makkah.

“I reached the hospital and learnt about the matter, but thank God, my niece was fine. She experienced some breathing problems after inhaling the pesticide and was discharged immediately from the hospital as her situation was not serious,” said Al Tayeb.

Mariam Hussein, mother of a student, said a friend whose children are studying in the same school informed her about the matter. “We rushed to the school and, upon arrival, we saw buses returning students to their homes. We made sure our children in Grade 6 and 9 are not affected.”

afkarali@khaleejtimes.com

• Sharjah

Afkar Ali Ahmed

afkarali@khaleejtimes.com