Over 200 students of two schools in Shamli district in Uttar Pradesh were hospitalised after they complained of dizziness and breathlessness after inhaling toxic fumes from waste from a sugar mill in the area.
The students of Saraswati Vidya Mandir and Saraswati Junior High School were admitted to private and government hospitals in Shamli and Muzaffarnagar.
According to the police, 175 out of the 200 children were discharged after first aid.
Twenty-three are under still treatment and two have been referred to Panipat.
The incident occurred on Tuesday morning when workers were destroying waste from the Shamli Distillery and Chemical Works by spraying a chemical on it. The students, who were heading to school, were affected by the gas released from the dump.
They complained of dizziness, breathlessness, burning sensation in eyes and itching when they reached school. The teachers and school authorities rushed them to hospital.
CM orders probe
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered a probe into the matter by the Commissioner of the Saharanpur division under which Shamli falls.
Parents and residents meanwhile protested the actions of the sugar mill in disposing off its waste and demanded action against the sugar mill officials The chief medical officer has ordered a probe in the issue.
The District administration sealed the sugar mill and police was probing the matter.
