A day after several students of a private school in Angamaly sustained injuries following a blast on the school premises, the police have registered a case and launched a probe into the incident.
As many as 60 persons, including 59 students of Holy Family High School in Angamaly, sustained injuries following the blast.
The blast occurred around 11 a.m. on Saturday when a section of the high school students, as part of a science exhibition at the school, attempted to recreate a volcano explosion.
A case has been registered for careless handling of hazardous materials while a decision regarding the persons to be arraigned as accused will be made later, said officials.
“Samples have been collected from the site and sent for a chemical analysis to establish the presence of explosive materials,” said Muhammad Riyas, Circle Inspector of Police, Angamaly.
The statements of school authorities and teachers associated with the project will be recorded soon. Statements of students may also be collected.
Preliminary investigation by the police suggested the presence of powdered aluminium at the blast site. “The students are believed to have used firecrackers to make an impact, leading to the explosion. A probe is on to trace the origin of the materials used in making the model,” the official added.
The volcano model, set up near the western entry of the school campus, was made of soil and crushed stone around a PVC pipe filled with powdered aluminium. The injured students were soon rushed to a private hospital and except for two children, all of them were discharged after giving preliminary treatment.
Following this, a bomb squad and dog squad of the police inspected the site and collected evidence.
The remaining two students were discharged from the hospital on Sunday, the police said.