Gas leak lands 300 kids in hospital

More than 300 schoolchildren were admitted across hospitals in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district after they complained of itchiness and breathlessness following a chemical gas leak from a nearby sugar mill.

Nine-year-old Ayushi Upadhayay, a student of the Saraswati Shishu Balika Vidhayalay, was discharged in the afternoon but had to re-admitted. "She felt nausea in the evening and her condition worsened. We then rushed her to the hospital again," said Gudi, her mother.

The Sir Shadi Lal Sugar Mill, which is barely 600 metres from a number of schools in the area, has since been sealed by the police.

UP CM Yogi Adityanath has ordered a probe by the Saharanpur Commissioner. The Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board is also investigating what chemical was discharged from the mill.

According to the police, they received a call around 9:30 a.m. from the school about children feeling breathless, nausea, itching, and uneasiness. Police evacuated thousands of students from other schools in the area.

Residents claimed that the waste from the factory is often mixed with chemicals and disposed in normal drains. "A case has been registered against the management of the sugar mill," said Ajay Pal Sharma, Superintendent of Police, Shamli.