Panic in Nyíregyháza, masses get sick in the school

On Tuesday afternoon, due to masses feeling sick, several children and adults were transported to the hospital from the József Eötvös Primary School and Grammar School, which belongs to the University of Nyíregyháza. A spokesman for the ambulance service said they took 12 children and 2 adults to the emergency department of the Nyíregyháza hospital for observation. They all complained about scratchy throats and a milder cough. Fortunately, no other symptoms appeared later in the hospital.

270 children in front of the school

Firefighters arrived at the scene with large units, but the disaster management unit did not register any signs of hazardous materials at the scene or inside the school building, a spokesman for the Szabolcs-Szatmár County Disaster Management Directorate told MTI. Szabolcs Online says that more than 270 children waited in front of the school while the police, firefighters, and ambulances investigated what caused the masses of people to get sick. Eyewitnesses said the area around the school looked completely chaotic during the afternoon, after the arrival of the firefighters and then during the investigation. Where, on a regular day, parents arriving for their children are parked, now police cars, fire trucks, ambulances, and special vehicles for disaster management were lined up.

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Chaos and possibly pepper spray caused the masses to get sick

According to hellomagyar.hu, the first pieces of information suggested chlorine gas poisoning, but the students and teachers interviewed did not smell the characteristic smell of the compound. Several complained that while they were leaving the school building, they felt something irritating their throats, causing them to cough. According to the report, one of the students said someone was “having fun” with pepper spray, and he sprayed most of the school with pepper spray, which caused the problem.

Pepper spray is a legal self-defence tool, used illegally in this case

Pepper spray is a self-defence tool that can be bought legally in Hungary and has an extremely unpleasant effect. It mainly causes tears and coughing; it has a strong effect in almost all cases. Of course, in self-defence situations, a smaller amount of it is used. In this situation, a larger dose may have been sprayed on the school grounds. We have no official information yet on whether the police are investigating the case, but it is likely that they will try to find the person who caused the situation.