Nov. 21 (UPI) — A science experiment gone wrong at a Sydney primary school in Australia left 11 children and their teacher injured, officials said.
The children, ages 10 to 11, at Manly West Public suffered burns Monday afternoon after the class mixed baking soda with methylated spirits in a test official said was called “the worm.”
A medical helicopter took one girl, 11, to Children’s Hospital at Westmead after suffering serious burns. An ambulance transported a second to the same hospital. Another ambulance took the teacher, whose name was not released, to Northern Beaches Hospital.
“All of them, apart from the two in a serious condition, were walking and were stable with relatively superficial injuries,” New South Wales Ambulance Acting Superintendent Phil Templeman said.
Templeman said the experiment, which happened outdoors in an open field, was affected by wind conditions that blew some of the chemicals around in a way that was not anticipated.
Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said she offered counseling services for students and staff and other assistance.
“Investigations into the incident will be undertaken by the relevant authorities, including the Department of Education and NSW Police,” Mitchell said. “In addition, SafeWork NSW has been notified and they will carry out their own investigation in due course.”
