Ammonia was released from a laboratory, for reasons yet to be determined. A strong odor permeated the entire school, presumably from the air conditioning system. The Marconi State High School in Pescara was evacuated , where major emergency protocols were implemented: several students and teachers reported illnesses .
The local health authority (ASL) of the Adriatic capital has set up an advanced medical post: three emergency medical personnel, three nurses, 20 first responders, and five ambulances are on site. Numerous people have reported feeling unwell. Four are in the emergency room in Pescara (a teacher and three students), while another is at the hospital in Chieti. Other people are being treated on site . Among those poisoned are several firefighters. Health sources have learned that the victims are suffering from ammonia poisoning.
The order issued by Deputy Mayor Maria Rita Carota provides for the "immediate and temporary closure of the Guglielmo Marconi State High School for the entire day of October 16, 2025, and in any case until no longer necessary, with a total ban on access to school premises for students, teachers, and staff."
The order states that it is "necessary to adopt immediate precautionary measures to prevent any danger, prohibiting access to school premises until the technical checks have been completed" and that there is a " concrete and immediate danger to the physical safety and health of students, teachers, and staff , resulting from an anomalous emission that requires urgent investigations to avert any risk to public safety."
"We arrived at school," says a student, "and they told us not to go in because there was an unbreathable substance in the air. At first, we thought it was a fire. Then I saw the kids coming out. Some had tears in their eyes from breathing in the air. I saw some of my friends coming out crying. We were scared ."
"It wasn't clear. Some people talked about a substance thrown by someone, and others about a problem with the underfloor heating," a teacher said. "At 8:11 the alarm went off and they made us leave."
