Two hurt as boy’s prank leads school to be closed

A student has been taken into police custody and all pupils were sent home following release of chemical substance at Sir Baniyas School today.

ABU DHABI //A teenage boy was arrested today after sparking an emergency evacuation at his school when he released a chemical into the air.

Another pupil and a staff member were treated in hospital for respiratory irritation, severe cough, running nose, dizziness and running tears after the incident at Sir Baniyas School.

All pupils were sent home for the day, but classes will resume as normal tomorrow.

The boy, a grade-12 pupil, brought a chemical from home that is commonly found in perfumes to play a prank on the administration department. Surveillance cameras caught him "messing around with a chemical substance", education authority officials said.

Another grade-12 pupil, Belal Yahya, and Mohammad Sami Ameen, a lab technician and health and safety officer who helped to evacuate the school, were taken to Al Mafraq Hospital.

"They received suitable attention in a timely manner and are now in a healthy condition," said Dr Hussain Masalma, the emergency specialist at the hospital.

Mohammad Salem Al Dhaheri, the executive director of school operations at Abu Dhabi Education Council, visited the school immediately after the incident.

"Thanks to the great effort of the civil defence, intervention squad, ambulance and criminal police, the impact of the incident was controlled," he said.

"The school was evacuated within five minutes of the incident and the injured were promptly transferred to hospital.

"We are collaborating with the competent authorities to conduct investigations and take the necessary action. We urge our students to refrain from any act that would endanger the safety and security of the community."