ALLENTOWN (Pennsylvannia, US), Oct 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — More than two dozen children have been rushed to hospital after a carbon monoxide leak at a childcare centre in the US state of Pennsylvania.
Some 25 children and eight staff members were taken to hospital, with the majority now in a stable condition.
“It was initially a medical call for a child who was unconscious,” Captain John Christopher of the Allentown Fire Department said.
The children and staff were taken to all four of the city’s hospitals after initial medical aid was provided at the scene.
The childcare centre is an isolated building so there is no risk of the leak spreading further, the fire official said.
A gas company official said the leak was caused by a malfunctioning heating unit and a blocked venting system, but this has not been confirmed by the authorities.
More than 400 people in the US are killed and 4,000 are admitted to hospital every year when they unintentionally inhale too much carbon monoxide, according to statistics provided by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. — NNN-AGENCIES
