Eight pupils taken to hospital in Săbăoani, Neamț, after irritant spray report

What happened

On Thursday, 12 November, an alarm was raised at Corpul C of the Liceul "Vasile Alecsandri" in Săbăoani, a village in Neamț County. According to Mediafax, seven sixth-grade pupils who were sitting in the same room began to feel unwell, reporting headaches, a burning throat and dizziness. Firefighters from the Neamț county inspectorate began a reconnaissance mission around the school. Other reports described the pupils as all being in the sixth grade and said the first information pointed to one pupil using an irritant spray.

Emergency response

Authorities activated the Red Intervention Plan at county level. Crews sent to the scene included a firefighting vehicle with extrication and first aid modules, a SMURD ambulance, a vehicle for transporting personnel and multiple casualties, and a crew from the county ambulance service. Every person in the school building was evacuated. A chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear response team was also requested, though one report names the ISU Iași team and another names the ISU Bacău team as the unit involved.

Changing count and cause

The number of affected pupils changed during the response. Mediafax reported that the number of children taken in by ambulance and rescue crews had risen to ten, and that all of them were to be transported to hospital. The most recent report, from the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, put the number of pupils taken to hospital at eight. The cause of the symptoms had not been announced at the time of reporting, and emergency officials said they would return with more details.