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KEVIN STENT / Stuff
Upper Hutt’s H2O Xtream was closed Thursday afternoon after a chlorine spill led to the hospitalization of 11 children.
A waterslide that took 11 children to the hospital and left dozens of vomiting and fainting had closed earlier in the day due to high levels of chlorine, but was then reopened.
Emergency services were called to Upper Hutt’s H2O Xtream pool just after 2 p.m. Thursday. Fire and Emergency confirmed that there had been a chlorine spill, while an off-duty nurse at the scene said Things dozens of children vomited, passed out and hyperventilated after using the slides.
But a chlorine reading, which had closed the slides earlier in the day, found that levels had returned to normal, Upper Hutt City Council Communications Advisor Matt Weavers said.
“The slides had been closed before due to a high chlorine reading. They were then reopened once the reading returned to normal. The incident happened after this. “
KEVIN STENT / Stuff
Fire and Emergency cleared the pool when they arrived Thursday.
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The nurse, who asked not to be identified for contractual confidentiality reasons, said she saw about 40 elementary school-age children fall down the slide. They all got sick afterwards.
The registered nurse, in the pool with her friend and daughters, said she noticed that a boy, who she estimated to be about 9 years old, appeared to have passed out down a slide.
“The students coughed with red eyes, vomited and passed out,” he said.
“Everyone who went down the slide had respiratory problems. Many of them had very red and itchy eyes that had to be washed. “
Things
Emergency services were called to Upper Hutt’s H2O Xtream pool just after 2 p.m. Thursday.
The children who had not gone down the slide also said they had trouble breathing, were vomiting and had red eyes, he added.
Upper Hutt Mayor Wayne Guppy said he had been to the scene and it appeared the children had been overwhelmed by the fumes.
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Eleven children were taken to the Hutt Hospital emergency department for evaluation.
The weavers could not confirm how many pool users were affected. He said members of the public assisted in the incident, while an investigation was under way.
“Although the incident was located around the slides, the building was cleared as a precautionary measure for a period of time after the arrival of emergency services to allow them to carry out their investigations and minimize any additional risk to customers and staff. “, He said.
Fire and Emergency Shift Manager Chris Dalton said three appliances were dispatched to the scene, along with a command unit and a hazardous materials unit.
A WorkSafe spokeswoman said she had been notified and investigations were ongoing.
The pools, but not the slides, would open as of 10 a.m. Friday, Weaver said.
