Punjab school students complain of breathing difficulty after suspected gas leak

RUPNAGAR: Twenty-four students of a private school were admitted to a hospital here after they complained of difficulty in breathing following a suspected gas leak from an industrial unit on Thursday, said officials.

One of the students was later sent to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, they said. The incident in Nangal area took place Thursday morning when some students started complaining of difficulty in breathing.

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The school was immediately shut and the affected students were taken to a hospital, they said. Rupnagar Deputy Commissioner Preeti Yadav said 24 students were referred to the hospital and most of them have been discharged.

"Four-to-five students were under observation," she said. The student who was referred to PGIMER was also stable, she said. A committee of officers and experts from the Punjab Pollution Control Board has been formed to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the incident.

Officials said they suspected the gas leaked from a industrial unit in the area. The DCP said the source of the leak was being ascertained but the situation is under control now.