School building evacuated

Major operation: Irritant gas alarm at Villach grammar school

Fire department in front of the Peraugymnasium.(Bild: Katrin Fister)

Large-scale deployment of the emergency services in Villach. The Peraugymnasium had to be evacuated on Wednesday morning - irritant gas is said to have been released. It is now known what was sprayed: pepper spray.

On Wednesday morning, several people reported respiratory problems and noticed a "strange smell". The school was therefore quickly evacuated. The "Krone" spoke to a pupil on site: "We were in math class when we all started coughing. The school caretaker picked us up and sent us outside," says Hannah from 6D. 

The emergency services arrived with gas masks.(Bild: Katrin Fister)

According to initial information, irritant gas was sprayed in a toilet, the classrooms were quickly evacuated and the pupils gathered on the sports field. "We're not allowed back into our classes yet," Hannah tells the Krone.

Was it a prank?
26 pupils received medical treatment, 19 of whom were taken to Villach Regional Hospital for further clarification. "The assumption is that it was some kind of irritant gas - pepper spray, for example", said Martin Regenfelder, the fire department incident commander, to the "Krone" this morning. The school had acted in an exemplary manner. Ventilation measures are now being carried out and the sanitary room in which the gas was released is being professionally cleaned.

By the evening, it was clear that pepper spray had been sprayed. It is suspected that it may have been a school prank. Further investigations are underway.