Alleged spraying of unknown substance at Mińsk Mazowiecki school evacuates 346
Fire crews and police responded on Tuesday, 13 October, after a report of an unknown substance sprayed at the Mechanik vocational school. Crews later detected trace amounts of ammonia, but no suspicious solid or liquid substance was found at the scene.
What happened
On Tuesday, 13 October, the emergency services received a report at about 14:30 that an unknown substance had been sprayed at the Mechanik vocational school in Mińsk Mazowiecki, in Mazovia. School management ordered an evacuation before firefighters reached the building, and the building was emptied. Kamil Płochocki, a fire service spokesman, said nine people complained of dizziness and shortness of breath, and medical crews took them into care.
In an interview with TVN24, Płochocki described the original call in plain terms:
We received information about an unknown substance sprayed on the school grounds.
Eleven fire crews, including a chemical unit, went to the site alongside police. Michał Kądziołka, deputy commander of the Mińsk Mazowiecki fire service, told TVN24 that firefighters found no suspicious substance in powder or liquid form. After 19:00, Płochocki reported that crews had detected trace amounts of ammonia, and the emergency operation was then closed.
- Emergency services receive a report of an unknown substance sprayed at the school
- School management orders the evacuation of the building
- Fire service reports trace amounts of ammonia; the emergency operation is closed
Evacuation and medical response
Police gave the evacuation figure as 346 people, made up of 316 students and 30 staff, according to TVN24. The fire service had earlier spoken of about 500 people leaving the building, a figure later revised. Super Express, citing police, reported that 14 people needed medical help, while TVN24 counted 11 students who complained of dizziness and nausea. Most accounts say one student was taken to hospital for further observation, but Polsat News reported that two students were taken there.
- Students
- 316 people
- Staff
- 30 people
Police investigation
Police have not confirmed that a substance was sprayed inside the school. Paula Antolak, a police spokeswoman in Mińsk Mazowiecki, said officers were taking statements and reviewing security footage from the building.
We are questioning witnesses and securing CCTV footage.
A press officer said it was not yet known how any gas was released or whether a third party was responsible. Police said all details would be established by the services working together on the case.
Earlier school incidents
The Mińsk Mazowiecki case comes after several school attacks in the same week. On Thursday, 8 October, a 19-year-old man entered a vocational school in Ostrołęka carrying a sharp tool and a homemade explosive in his backpack. The next day, a 15-year-old entered a primary school in Leszczydół-Nowiny with a knife and stabbed a 37-year-old caretaker, a woman who later died of her injuries. Police also said they had seized a 17-year-old's phone in Sierpc, which contained searches about a planned attack.
Open questions
Several points remain unresolved, including how any gas was released, whether a third party was involved, and the source of the trace ammonia. The fire service's findings and the police account do not yet establish a cause, and witness questioning and CCTV analysis are continuing.
