15 pupils at Masala Secondary school in Ndola were gassed with unknown chemicals.
Acting Copperbelt Police Commanding Officer, Tresphord Kasale confirmed that unknown poison was used to intoxicate the pupils who had assembled while being addressed by the school head teacher.
Mr. Kasale said police visited the school but that no poisonous substance or materials was picked from the scene.
“We have a report that unknown people had gassed pupils at Masala secondary school and have since arrested three suspects,” he said.
Mr. Kasale also revealed that three juveniles aged 16 and 17 have been arrested to help with investigations on the matter.
And Ndola District Education Board Secretary- DEBS, Patrick Kaonga said in a phone interview that the incident happened when some pupils who were facing discipline action repelled and decided to hire a gang in the township.
Mr. Kaonga said a huge gang armed with various weapons such as iron bars and some unknown chemical in the bottle came and sprayed the chemical on the pupils who were at the assembly.
He stated the incident happened yesterday around 16:45 when the pupils were about to knock off.
“The pupils were in the school hall together with some teachers when the thugs threw the bottle containing the said chemical on the gathering and from which we had the casualties amounting to 14 pupils who rushed to Ndola Teaching Hospital where they are currently admitted,” Mr. Kaonga said.
Meanwhile, Copperbelt province Deputy Permanent Secretary Daniel Kamenga who visited the pupils at the hospital described the incident as unfortunate and commended management at the hospital for swiftly attending to the pupils.
And in an interview with ZANIS, Ndola Teaching hospital doctor Johnson Matolo who attended to the pupils confirmed that most of the pupils presented heart palpitation and chest pains.
Dr. Matolo said after treatment and thorough observation, most of the pupils are stable and have been discharged except two who are on oxygen.
