21 students hospitalised after drinking chlorinated water at Tamil Nadu school

Twenty-one students of a government middle school at Unjavelampatti near Pollachi in Coimbatore district were treated at the Pollachi Government Hospital on Tuesday afternoon after complaining of stomach pain and throat irritation. The students had consumed water at the school, prompting teachers to alert their parents, who then rushed to the school and took the affected children to the hospital. The students were initially treated in the emergency department before being admitted to the children's ward. Police and revenue officials visited the hospital and conducted an inquiry. Officials said chlorine had been added to the school's 60-litre drinking water tank as part of measures to prevent dengue. As the water level in the tank was low when chlorine was added, the concentration was reportedly high, resulting in the students falling ill.