Dozens of worried parents have gathered at Geetha Nursing Home in West Marredpally of Secunderabad since the afternoon of Friday, November 18, after they were informed that their children fell sick following an accident at a college nearby. Around 38 students of the Kasturba Gandhi Degree and PG College were hospitalised after a suspected gas leak at the college’s chemistry laboratory on Friday afternoon. Students reported symptoms of breathlessness, fainting spells and convulsions, and a few of them were admitted to the hospital’s ICU. While several students were discharged by Friday evening, eight are still in the ICU, with two of them in a critical condition.
“What exactly caused the situation is yet to be ascertained. Necessary tests are being done and free treatment is being provided to the students. If needed, they will be shifted to Gandhi hospital,” District Medical Health Officer, Dr Venkat, told TNM. However, according to students, the gas was released as a result of a chemical reaction during an experiment in the laboratory, which is located on the ground floor of the college. Eyewitnesses told TNM that following the chemical reaction, students began complaining of breathlessness, loss of taste and smell, convulsions, and vomiting, while some students also fainted. The smoke from the lab reportedly spread across the three floors of the college.
While those who needed medical attention were shifted to the hospital, the other students were sent home following the incident. Some students who experienced symptoms after reaching home were later brought to the same hospital.
Visuals of the incident surfaced on social media, which showed students gasping for breath. One such student, Pallavi, has been admitted to the ICU. Speaking to TNM, Pallavi’s father Navin said, “My daughter is in the ICU and is still complaining of chest pain. Her mother is inside with her and Pallavi is on breathing support. Doctors were rushed in from Apollo to treat the students.”
Another student, Sri Lakshmi, who is doing her undergraduate course at the college, fainted after she inhaled the fumes. She was on the second floor of the building at the time of the incident. When TNM met the student, she was being discharged from the hospital after being administered fluids and injections.
Parents who gathered at the hospital demanded that all necessary tests be carried out to find out if the fumes inhaled will have a serious effect on their children’s health. Mounika, another parent, demanded that the parents be informed of what kind of gas the students inhaled, while Michael, another parent, questioned why no safety precautions were followed in the college.
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