Incidents Karachay-Cherkessia

Official in southern Russian republic denies mass illness in school

20.02.2007 Editor

Karachay-Cherkessia, 7 February, Caucasus Times: The Karachay-Cherkess Education and Science Ministry has denied mass diseases, intoxication and poisoning of pupils in the village of Krasnyy Kurgan.

Karachay-Cherkessia’s deputy minister of education and science, Svetlana Khapchayeva, told journalists that the pupils of the 5th-11th forms were temporarily moved to another building as they had A-type flu. She noted that numerous laboratory tests had been held in the school but nothing wrong was revealed. Radiation levels are within the norm.

“All media reports about the presence of zinc, mercury or any other harmful substances in a classroom and about schoolchildren’s illness are wide of the mark. There are 418 schoolchildren in the school and 372 of them attend classes today and all of them feel fine,” the deputy education and science minister said.

Madina Batasheva, Cherkessk, Caucasus Times

Editor

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