Unhealthy cocktail: 23 students fall unconscious after inhaling toxic fumes

A trader had mixed extra chemicals in bottles of ink remover sold to schoolchildren.

PARACHINAR: As many as 23 schoolchildren fainted after inhaling toxic fumes from ink remover bottles in a school in Parachinar, Kurram Agency on Friday.

Shabbir Sajidi, the principal of Islamia Public School, told journalists a man named Muhammad Saeed, hailing from Punjab, visited the school to sell bottles of ink remover.

Sajidi added several students bought the product, however, when they opened the bottles, toxic fumes engulfed the classrooms. “Around 100 students complained of nausea and dizziness, while 23 began vomiting and fainted,” said Sajidi.

According to an official of the political administration, the students were rushed to Parachinar Headquarters Hospital where they were administered first aid and the school was shutdown for the day.

The official added Saeed was arrested and shifted to the office of the Parachinar political administration, where he admitted he had added more chemicals to the mixture to make the ink remover more effective, however, he did not know that the children would have a reaction to the chemical.

A case has been filed against the accused and further investigation is under way.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 7^th, 2014.