Nineteen students of Adarsha College of Nursing in Jnana Ganga Nagar, near Mallathahalli, Bengaluru, Karnataka, were hospitalised on Sunday night, August 18, when they faced difficulty in breathing after inhaling fumes of rat poison sprayed on the ground floor of the hostel building.

All the students are aged between 19 and 24, and most of them are from Kerala and North India.

They are undergoing treatment at a private hospital and are out of danger, police said, adding that several were discharged after treatment, stated a report by The New Indian Express.

Police said some students started falling ill around 9 pm Sunday after Rat Axe, a rodent repellent, was sprayed in the hostel building by a private person engaged by the hostel management.

Toxic fumes quickly spread throughout the building, and the students complained of respiratory issues. They were shifted to a nearby private hospital with staff.

Among the 19 students, initially the condition of three — Jayan Varghese, Dilish and Jomon — worsened and they were treated in the ICU. They later recovered.

Based on a statement from a student named Noyal, Jnanabharathi police registered a case under Section 286 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against the hostel management, hostel warden and Manjegowda for negligence in handling poisonous substances.