In Chennai’s Tiruvottiyur area, around 30 students from a school were hospitalised after reporting symptoms of throat irritation and discomfort, which officials suspect may be linked to a gas leak. This incident sparked immediate concern among parents and school staff. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Commander A.K. Chauhan stated that, so far, there was no detectable source of the leak, and the team did not detect any gas odors upon investigation. Forensic experts and officials from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) were called to assist in determining the cause, while local police began an inquiry to trace any potential hazards.
Incidents like this have occurred recently in Tamil Nadu. Just a week earlier, a similar situation unfolded at a school in Hosur where nearly 100 students experienced nausea and fainting due to a suspected gas leak, reportedly from a septic tank. In that case, students showed symptoms like nausea and vomiting but no serious conditions were reported. Additionally, North Chennai experienced an ammonia gas leak in Ennore in the same month, affecting about 50 people, primarily workers from a nearby fertiliser plant, who were subsequently treated for exposure symptoms.
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This sequence of incidents has heightened public concerns regarding industrial safety and emergency preparedness in educational and industrial environments across the region.