Thirty-seven pupils poisoned with gas still supervised by medics in Grozny

In total, 37 pupils aged from nine to fifteen and two teachers, who got poisoned by an unknown gas on May 17, are still under supervision of physicians in Grozny. Doctors assess their condition as stable.

The Children Clinical Hospital (CCH) accepted pupils and a teacher of School No. 17 of the city of Grozny, who got poisoned by some unknown substance. According to preliminary data, the mass poisoning was caused by the pepper gas, used by agents of special units, said the spokesman of the Investigatory Department for Chechnya of the ICRF.

"In total, 47 people intoxicated with vapours of an unknown substance were brought to the CCH; currently, 37 pupils and two teachers are still under supervision of physicians," a source from the local Ministry for Emergencies (MfE) told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent today.

The incident occurred when pupils of younger and middle forms, who go to the second shift, were at school, said one of the teachers: "Classes were immediately stopped; and all the pupils were sent home."

"Our thanks are to the teachers, who managed to quickly evacuate the children; otherwise, there could be much more victims. Medics arrived at the scene not at once," said Kheda S., a local resident.