Seven in hospital after chemical incident in East London

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Seven patients have been taken to hospital following a chemical incident in East London.

London Ambulance Service’s specialist Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) rushed patients to the hospital on Saturday evening after reports of a chemical leak on Wren Road, in Dagenham.

Paramedics found people struggling to breathe after a chemical was released, believed to be palytoxin from coral in a fish tank, according to The Sun. However, authorities have not confirmed the substance.

Following the incident ten houses have been cordoned off.

Police were called to a residential property at around 10pm on Saturday. Officers assisted with road closures at the scene which were reopened shortly before midnight.

HART paramedics are trained to provide medical care to patients in hazardous and high-risk environments, such as those occurring at height, in water, in building sites, and or collapsed structures such as after a gas explosion.

Nationally they respond to more than 8,000 incidents a year.

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called at 9.46pm on 10 August to reports of an incident at a residential address on Wren Road.

“We sent a number of resources including ambulance crews, an incident response officer and members of our Hazardous Area Response Team (HART).”

“We responded alongside colleagues from London Fire Brigade. We treated seven patients and took them all to hospital.”