OSAKA, JAPAN: Twenty children in the western prefecture of Osaka, Japan, were taken to hospital on Tuesday after a sulfur-like odor at their school left some of them feeling unwell, local media quoted fire department officials as saying.

The fire department was called shortly after 9:00 a.m. local time after the odor in the elementary school in Osaka’s Toyonaka City was noticed, local media reported.

In response to the emergency call, more than 10 ambulances and fire trucks were deployed to the school. Firefighters entered the building in an attempt to locate the source of the sulfur-like smell, while 20 children aged between seven and 11 were reportedly taken to hospital for checkups as they were feeling ill.

The firefighters’ search of the school using gas detectors did not turn up any abnormalities although investigations are ongoing.

(Xinhua )