Afghanistan Times
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AT Monitoring Des-KABUL: Tens of schoolgirls were sent to hospital after falling ill at schools in western Herat and northeastern Badakhshan provinces, officials said Saturday.
Aging between 12 to 13 years, the students faced breathing problems while in their school in Herat city.
The root cause behind the incident is unknown. However, Herat police chief, Abdul Rauf Ahmadi, said an investigation was kicked off into the incident.
A doctor in Herat Regional Hospital confirmed receiving dozens of students on Saturday morning but said they were out of danger.
In the meantime, local officials in Badakhshan said that at least 37 students of a Zharaf Girls School were poisoned in Shaki district.
Head of provincial education directorate, Sayid Shamsullah Shams, said that some of the schoolgirls were not in good health condition, adding that they have requested helicopters to send the girls to Faizabad, the central city of the province.
He said the reason behind the incident is not known yet but an investigation has been initiated in this regard.
Sakhidad, security chief of Badakhshan, said initial reports reveal that the girls were poisoned by chemicals in laboratory and the incident was not intentional.
Head of Badakhshan Public Health Department, Noor Mohammad Khawari, said 37 schoolgirls were shifted to the clinic of Shaki district, adding that at least five teachers were also sent to the health center for treatment.
He said that some of the students were in bad health condition and the symptoms of stress, red eye and laughing were seen among them.
Such incidents occur almost every year in parts of the country. It is said that anti-state elements are behind some of such incidents.
