12 students ill after gas leak in school

LUCKNOW - Twelve girl students of a government-aided school in Uttar Pradesh’s Faizabad district were hospitalised Tuesday after they fell unconscious following a gas leak from a generator in the school, officials said.

The incident took place in the afternoon at the K.I. Rampur Bhagan College in Taarun area, some 150 km from Lucknow, where 12 Class 10 girls fainted while working on computers in the lab.

“All the 12 girls are still being treated at a hospital, but now there’s nothing to worry. All of them are out of danger,” District Inspector of Schools Shivpujan Patel told reporters in Faizabad.

“We have learnt that a gas leak from the generator installed in the school was the reason behind the incident. The poor ventilation in the computer room also worsened the situation and the students started fainting one by one,” he added.

An enquiry has been initiated against the school authorities for not making proper ventilation arrangements in the computer room.

“The case is serious. Though it’s true the students fainted because of the gas leakage, we cannot ignore the fact that they were being put at risk by the school authorities by not making proper ventilation arrangements in the computer room,” said Patel.