On Monday, a science experiment gone awry in Sydney injured one instructor and 11 children. While the rest were brought to the Royal North Shore and Northern Beaches hospitals, two pupils had critical injuries including chest and facial burns. The Manly West public school team, according to local media accounts, was attempting to make a ‘sugar snake’ out of baking soda, a sugar combination, and an accelerant, but the disaster was ultimately brought on by the irregular winds on the beach. The urgent cases were flown to Westmead Children’s Hospital.
According to Acting Superintendent of New South Wales Ambulance Phil Templeman, ‘we had several triple’ zero calls stating that a number of youngsters had incurred burns during a science project, which was being done outside. The experiment has been disrupted by today’s strong winds, which have also scattered some of the items. The children’s top torso, chest, face, and legs have all been burned. Fortunately, the bulk of the kids did not sustain serious injuries’, he said, making it clear that an investigation is already under way.
The incident left local officials and Fire and Rescue NSW police on the beach for a while, however it was quickly opened to the public without further notice. Sarah Mitchell, the minister of education for NSW, paid a visit to the scene and expressed sympathy for the victims. ‘My thoughts are with the Manly West public school children and staff who were impacted by the event today. The Department of Education and NSW police will conduct investigations into the event together with other pertinent agencies. Additionally, SafeWork NSW has been informed, and they will conduct their own inquiry as soon as possible,’ she told.
Post Your Comments