An incident which could have turned into a tragedy occurred yesterday late afternoon in a primary school in the Ouled Bellil district, in the commune of Bouira.
Ten students were victims of gas poisoning, requiring their immediate evacuation to Mohamed Boudiaf hospital. The incident caused great concern among the parents of the schoolchildren.
According to witnesses, several students began, around 3 p.m., to experience symptoms of suffocation and dizziness in the middle of class. A strong smell of gas emanating from the heating appliances, according to the same sources, quickly invaded the premises, causing panic among the students and teaching staff. Immediately alerted, civil protection elements rushed to the site, mobilizing several ambulances as well as emergency intervention teams. “We received a call reporting a gas leak and the presence of students showing symptoms of poisoning.
Our teams intervened quickly to evacuate the children safely,” said a civil protection official. The ten poisoned students were rushed to hospital to receive the necessary treatment. Fortunately, their state of health is said to be stable, although some had to be placed under medical supervision, a hospital source said.
