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At a secondary school in Essen, students drank an unknown liquid from a bottle on Friday afternoon and then had massive health problems.
A fire department spokesman said five students between the ages of 12 and 14 were taken to hospitals.
Four were seriously injured, two of whom fell unconscious after drinking.
Three other children had complained about problems even before the fire brigade was deployed and had been picked up by their parents.
During surveys at the school, it turned out that all five of those affected had drunk from a 1.5-liter plastic bottle.
The fire brigade secured the bottle and took the first samples, which initially did not produce any results.
Therefore, the bottle was taken to a special laboratory of the Dortmund fire brigade for further examinations with a fire engine and blue lights.
Investigations into dangerous bodily harm
The bottle was apparently in a wastebasket in the schoolyard, the spokesman said.
The liquid in the bottle is clear.
It cannot be judged right away whether it is poisonous or corrosive.
It was initially unclear whether the students drank the bottle out of curiosity or whether someone offered them the bottle.
The school had already closed classes, the spokesman said.
The police are investigating for dangerous bodily harm against unknown.
sak/dpa/AFP