PASIR GUDANG, June 22 — Three schools and two pre-schools have been ordered to be closed for two days, starting tomorrow here as a safety measure following possible air pollution in the Taman Mawar area here.
The affected schools are Sekolah Agama Taman Mawar, SK Pasir Gudang 4 and SMK Pasir Gudang 2, while the pre-schools are Tadika Pasti and Tadika Pintar Bistari.
Johor Health, Culture and Heritage Committee chairman Mohd Khuzzan Abu Bakar said the closure was a precautionary measures as the situation is still pending investigations.
“The schools and pre-schools are located about 100 to 800 metres away from Sekolah Agama Taman Mawar, where the incident first started.
“We are also monitoring the air quality within 1.1km radius from the location every six hours and will continue to do so until Monday or even after that,” said Mohd Khuzzan at the Pasir Gudang Indoor Stadium here today.
On the possible reason for the students to have breathing difficulties and nausea, Mohd Khuzzan said the relevant authorities are still trying to identify the cause of the incident that started on Thursday.
“The authorities are also conducting checks on the factories within the area,” he said.
Mohd Khuzzan also said that two patients were still receiving treatment at Hospital Sultan Ismail (HSI) for breathing difficulties and nausea.
He said six patients have been discharged and there have been no new patients admitted in relation to the incident as of 12pm today.
On Thursday, a total of 15 victims, aged seven to 12, fell ill after suffering from breathing difficulties and bouts of vomiting.
In March, more than 4,000 people, mainly children, fell ill after a toxic fume incident in Sungai Kim Kim. The fallout from the incident also saw the temporary closure of 111 schools in the Pasir Gudang district.
However, authorities have been quick to deny that the two incidents were connected.
