18 Students Hospitalised after 'Chemical Leak' at Bobby Duke Middle School in California

California: As many as 18 students were hospitalised after an "unknown chemical leak" at Bobby Duke Middle School in Coachella, a small city in Riverside, California, known for the iconic Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. It's about 133 miles east of Los Angeles.

Videos of the scene show several police cars, ambulances, fire trucks surrounding the building as the authorities desperately worked to determine the source of the "chemical odor."

In a post on X, CAL FIRE wrote: “Firefighters arrived at an educational facility with an unknown chemical leak. Twenty-four classrooms have been isolated. Patients are being evaluated by firefighter paramedics.”

In another tweet, it informed that 18 of the 19 pupils examined at the site were brought to three nearby hospitals after they complained about minor lightheadedness. A school employee was also taken to the hospital. All are said to be fine. 

The hazardous materials team made entry and was unable to detect any leaks. The incident was turned over to Southwest gas company, it added.

The nature of the illnesses and the source of the "chemical" odor were not immediately ascertained, although it was assumed to be gas.