Two primary school students received serious burns to the face and chest and were taken to hospital after a science experiment conducted outdoors in high winds went wrong at a school near Sydney’s northern beaches.
They were among 11 students and one adult — believed to be their teacher — injured in the incident at Manly West public school about 1:20pm yesterday.
One of the students with serious burns was airlifted to Westmead children’s hospital while the other student was taken to that hospital by ambulance.
Nine other students were taken to the Royal North Shore and Northern Beaches hospitals. The adult was also admitted to hospital in stable condition.
It is understood the students were taking part in a science demonstration to create a “black snake” or “sugar snake” with baking soda, a sugar mixture and an accelerant.
New South Wales (NSW) Ambulance Acting Superintendent Phil Templeman said the wind had blown some materials around, causing the injuries.
“We received multiple triple-zero calls reporting that a number of children had sustained burns during a science experiment, which was being conducted outside,” he said.
“Today’s high winds have impacted the experiment and blown some of the materials around. The children have sustained burns to the upper body, chest, face and legs. Thankfully, the majority of the students were not badly injured,” he said.
The state education department, police and SafeWork NSW have been directed to probe the incident.
NSW Minister of Education Sarah Mitchell thanked school staff who “acted so quickly to provide first aid and call emergency services.”
“My thoughts are with the students and staff affected by today’s incident at Manly West public school,” she said. “We will provide whatever resources the school community needs in the coming days, including counselling for students and staff.”
“Investigations into the incident will be undertaken by the relevant authorities, including the Department of Education and NSW police. In addition, SafeWork NSW has been notified and they will carry out their own investigation in due course.”
Templeman thanked the school’s staff for how they handled the situation.
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