As many as 74 schoolgirls in Afghanistan's far north fell sick yesterday after smelling gas, and were being examined for possible poisoning, the Reuters website reports today (April 22, 2013).
Local officials said the girls became ill after smelling gas at their school, Bibi Maryam, in Takhar province's capital, Taluqan. The city is about 250 kilometers north of the country's capital, Kabul.
The Takhar governor's spokesman, Sulaiman Moradi, blamed "enemies of the government and the country" for the mass illness and said the aim was to stop girls from going to school. The Taliban -- which is opposed to girls being educated -- has conducted similar activities in the past, in an effort to convince girls to quit school.
The girls were taken to the provincial hospital and most were released after being treated, although several remained in a critical condition last night, the head of the hospital, Dr. Jamil Frotan, said.
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