What should have been just another regular day for pupils and staff at a KwaZulu-Natal school turned into a nightmare on Wednesday when a gas leak, believed to be from a nearby factory, created chaos.
Children collapsed and sustained injuries as they tried to flee.
About 20 pupils from Umbilo Secondary School in Wentworth, south of Durban, were rushed to hospital after experiencing breathing difficulties, while a teacher was also hospitalised.
The school is surrounded by several chemical companies in an industrial area.
A teacher said he was in the middle of a lesson when he noticed that pupils were struggling to breathe and initially thought they were just messing with him.
“[At first] I thought the learners were pulling a hoax on me, but I soon realised it was serious. The gas smell was becoming stronger and I struggled to breathe myself,“ he said.
The teacher and pupils fled the school in panic.
We feared for our lives. Some learners in my class collapsed as we all tried to flee outside. Some were injured as we were running out, and others had seizures.
— Umbilo Secondary School pupil
One pupil told Sowetan that learners panicked after inhaling the gas.
“We feared for our lives. Some learners in my class collapsed as we all tried to flee outside. Some were injured as we were running out, and others had seizures,” the pupil said.
By early afternoon, Constantia Crescent, the usually busy road leading to the school, was quiet. Outside the school, a handful of pupils sat, reeling with shock as they recalled what unfolded.
Garrith Jameson, spokesperson for a private ambulance service, said they could not detect the source of the gas leak.
“We rushed to the school after receiving a report that multiple learners were having difficulty breathing due to some sort of gas in the air. We were unsure where it was coming from. We treated some children on the scene while others were hospitalised,” Jameson said.
Phumzi Sokhabase, who runs a tuck shop near the school, described seeing pupils collapsing.
“It was very scary because some of the learners were collapsing in front of my tuck shop. I helped where I could. It was fortunate that no learner died,” he said.
The school was evacuated and closed for the day.
Desmond D’Sa, an environmental campaigner in Wentworth and surrounding areas who represents the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, blamed the large chemical companies in the area for what he termed “gassing out residents”.
“These companies must not be let off the hook. They must be investigated for compliance and their licences revoked if they don’t comply. Many people are dying because of cancer as a result of these big companies,” he said.
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