Sulfur dioxide emitted near school

BEIJING —  About 140 schoolchildren and teachers were hospitalized after sulfur dioxide was discharged by a chemical plant in southern China, state media reported Tuesday.

The plant, which produces chemical fertilizers in the county of Xifeng in Guizhou province, emitted a “huge amount” of sulfur dioxide, a colorless gas, into the atmosphere Monday, the New China News Agency said, citing a local official.

Five teachers and 135 students from two primary schools and a middle school reported respiratory problems as a result of the fumes and were taken to a hospital, the news agency quoted the county’s executive deputy head, Huang Yonghui, as saying.