Gas used against children, possibly

Doctors and representatives of the Shelkovskaia district administration in Chechnya believe that a mass poisoning of pupils in Staroshchedrinskaia which occurred on 24 September was caused by a poison gas.

"Originally, food poisoning was the main version to explain the mass poisoning of children in the Staroshchedrinskaia school. This was the diagnosis which doctors at the local hospital to which the pupils were admitted gave. However, it has been found out presently that the pupils had not eaten anything before they arrived in hospital. Therefore, there are no reasons to say that this was food poisoning," a source with the district administration said.

"According to doctors' information, all the children felt bad practically at the same time. Some began to faint, and practically all of them had a headache, sickness, and stomach pains. Some health professionals believe that someone committed a terrorist act using a nerve gas. More so, that an examination and tests of the children confirmed that there had been no food poisoning, but there were all signs of a toxic effect," the source maintains. Special lab tests are required to get the exact answer about the causes of the mass poisoning of the schoolchildren in Staroshchedrinskaia. It is planned to involve military professionals to investigate the incident.