22 Delhi students hospitalised after pepper spray can leaks

The students, belonging to classes six and seven of the school, fell unconscious soon after celebrating the birthday of a teacher

Around 22 students of the Government Girls’ Sr. Secondary School in Chhatarpur fell unconscious during school hours on Wednesday after a pepper spray can in a teacher’s bag accidentally leaked, officials said.

The cause was initially suspected to be a gas leak while the school later also probed the possibility of food poisoning, as the students had all consumed the cake that was cut. (Representational Image/Getty Images)

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The students, belonging to classes six and seven of the school, fell unconscious soon after celebrating the birthday of a teacher. The cause was initially suspected to be a gas leak while the school later also probed the possibility of food poisoning, as the students had all consumed the cake that was cut.

In a statement, the Delhi government said it was monitoring the health of the students, who were immediately rushed to Safdarjung hospital.

“There was no gas leak at the school, but rather a can of pepper spray a teacher was carrying in her bag accidentally leaked. All affected students were immediately catered to and were provided the necessary help and treatment. The government is closely monitoring the health of the students,” it said on Wednesday.

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Meanwhile, DCP South Chandan Chaudhary said, “On enquiry, it was revealed that the students fell unconscious while they were celebrating the birthday of a teacher. We are looking further into the incident.”