477 evacuated and the school in Sharjah has been closed for the rest of the day.
Sharjah: Seventeen children have been hospitalised after being exposed to pesticides at a school in Sharjah, police confirmed on Wednesday.
The incident happened at Beaconhouse Al Khaleej International School in the Al Azra area of Sharjah.
Fifteen have been discharged and two remain in hospital. Their ages range from 6-10-years-old.
Pesticide was applied by a pest control company to control mosquitoes according to police.
Inhalation of the chemicals led to several pupils falling ill and they were taken to Al Qassimi Hospital in Sharjah.
They were diagnosed with pesticide poisoning according to medics and treated accordingly before most were discharged.
An official at Sharjah Civil Defence told Gulf News that they were called to the school at 8.20am and rescue teams from Samnan and Sharjah Civil Defence headquarters immediately evacuated 477 pupils.
An official at the National Ambulance service told Gulf News that 11 ambulances were rushed to the scene along with one quick response car and two medical incident command vehicles.
The school sent a message to parents explaining the situation and gave students the rest of the day off.
