Eight students including a teacher fell unconscious after leakage of the Chemical gas in Champawat
Panic gripped the Government Polytechnic College in Chhamniya Choud area of Champawat district on Saturday when chemical gas suddenly spread during a practical in the pharmacy department lab.
In the accident, eight students, including a teacher, suffered breathing problems and fell unconscious.
All of them were immediately admitted to the sub-district hospital for treatment.
According to eyewitnesses, first-year pharmacy students were doing practical work in the lab when a bottle filled with chemicals fell from the table and broke.
As soon as the bottle broke, a thick smoke began to billow from it, and within moments, the gas spread throughout the lab room.
This caused the students and the teacher present there to suddenly feel unwell.
Acting Principal Anil Rautla said that after coming in contact with the gas, teacher Shailaja and students Kamakhya, Kajal, Diya, Shivani, Gunjan, Garima, Sanjana and Nikita started showing symptoms like difficulty in breathing, dizziness and fainting.
Seeing the situation worsen, the college administration immediately rushed everyone to the sub-district hospital.
They explained that the lab had adequate ventilation, but the sudden smoke and gas generated by the chemical bottle breaking created this situation.
As a precaution, the lab has been closed and an internal investigation is underway.
A team of doctors treated all those affected at the sub-district hospital.
Medical Superintendents Dr. Viraj Rathi, Dr. Gyan Prakash, and physician Dr. Rakesh Joshi stated that everyone is now stable and none is in critical condition. For safety reasons, everyone is under medical supervision.
