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It was initially thought that the fumes were caused by pool acid.
The youngsters, including a four-month-old baby, were swimming at the Zoo Lake swimming pool in Johannesburg. According to a statement from Netcare 911, the children started to show symptoms of respiratory illness on Saturday afternoon around 16:00.
"Paramedics from Netcare 911 and the police were first to arrive at the scene," the statement read.
On Sunday EWN reported that the fumes wasn’t in fact caused by pool acid, but an industrial product used to clean and unblock drains.
Community Development MMC Nonhlanhla Sifumba told the news outlet wind blew the toxic fumes towards the children after the chemical was used to unblock a nearby drain.
“This did not happen because of negligence of the officials of the swimming pool; it is what you may call an act of nature,” Nonhlanhla said.
It’s being reported that all the kids have already been discharged from hospital.
