Gas alarm in Sternberg: Seven children injured, police are investigating!

Gas alarm in Sternberg: Seven children injured, police are investigating!

It was a normal Monday lunchtime at the “David-Franck” regional school and high school in Sternberg when a gas alarm suddenly went off. At around 12:45 p.m., police and emergency services were called to action after sixth-grade students who became unwell complained of burning eyes and respiratory problems. A total of seven children suffered injuries from an airborne irritant, with five of them being taken to hospital in Schwerin. Two other children received first aid on site and were then handed over to their attentive parents, as ndr.de reports.

In the meantime, the school was evacuated because a gas leak was initially suspected. However, the circumstances of the incident raise questions: According to ostsee-zeitung.de, a 14-year-old student is in custody Suspicion of having sprayed the irritant in a toilet in the basement of the older school building. Another theory is that a 12-year-old could have released the gas in the locker room after gym class. The police are now investigating to find out whether the substance used was pepper spray or another type of irritant gas.

First reactions and investigations

The school management was forced to cancel classes for around 500 students after the alarm sounded shortly before 1 p.m. Such a scenario is alarming not only for the children involved, but also for all students and teachers present. Police investigations will shed light on the exact circumstances of the incident as parents and students anxiously await news.

Similar incidents, such as the use of irritant gas at a school in Falkensee, show that such events are unfortunately not isolated. There, around 40 students complained about discomfort after an irritant gas was sprayed. In this case, a 14-year-old also used the irritant, which led to the opening of criminal proceedings for grievous bodily harm, as rbb24.de reports. This highlights the urgency of taking preventative measures in schools to ensure that something similar does not happen again.

The situation in Sternberg is a wake-up call for schools to increase the safety of their students not only through education, but also through clear behavioral guidelines. At a time when such incidents are becoming more common, children's well-being should be a top priority. It remains to be hoped that the investigation will quickly bring clarity and such dangerous actions can be avoided in the future.