A 10-year-old student is hospitalized in intensive care at Juan P. Garrahan Hospital in Buenos Aires after suffering critical injuries from an explosion during a science fair at Ranquegua Commercial Institute, approximately 9 miles from the city of Pergamino. According to a hospital statement, the girl is in critical condition and on a ventilator. Sixteen other people, students and teachers, were injured in the incident, most of them students, with varying degrees of severity. One teacher, aged 45, who was hit in the arm and face, underwent two surgeries at San Felipe Hospital in San Nicolas and is in stable condition.
Video: The explosion that occurred during a science fair at Ranquegua Commercial Institute. Credit: Social media
The incident occurred on Thursday when a group of students presented an experiment simulating a volcanic eruption. The experiment was designed to function as a light-and-sound stunt, but the fire spread rapidly and caused an explosion, which scattered burning fragments in all directions. The girl, who was sitting in the front row, suffered a direct hit to her face. She was initially rushed to San Jose Hospital in Pergamino, and from there was transported by helicopter to the hospital due to concern about loss of vision and brain damage. Pergamino Mayor Javier Martins stated that "something pierced her, and the injury reached the brain. She is in serious condition, unconscious and on a ventilator."
In a video documenting the moments of the explosion, a student is heard explaining that the volcano included two metal tubes with sulfur, coal, and "special salts" – components almost identical to those that make up gunpowder. The investigation now focuses on whether flammable materials were used negligently. District Attorney Fernando Perteira noted that examinations were opened and documents from the incident were confiscated. According to him, it must be examined whether there was negligence on the part of the chemistry teacher, despite the fact that safety measures were in place at the school, such as the presence of rescue teams on site.
