By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Emergency Management Services (EMS) are evacuating pupils at Umbilo Secondary School, South of Durban in Bluff, following a suspected gas leak on Thursday morning.
According to ALS Paramedics spokesperson Gareth Jamieson, emergency services responded to the incident at the school on Major Calvert Road shortly after 10:30.
Jamieson said initial reports indicated that a “gas substance may have leaked from a nearby company or residence” and drifted towards the school due to windy conditions.
He added that about 20 learners and a teacher have been treated for minor to moderate injuries at the premises. One learner is said to have suffered a seizure.
There are a number of industrial companies operating in the south Durban region.
Deputy chairperson of the student governing body Andre de Bruin said when he arrived, teachers were already escorting the children off the premises.
De Bruin said there was a strong smell inside the school. It was like a benzene smell, and it was coming from the far end of the school.”
The school has been closed and evacuated for the day.
Authorities are expected to investigate the cause of the suspected gas leak. Further updates are expected as emergency teams continue their work on the scene.