Children at several Southern California schools affected after plane dumps fuel on them
Officials say 67 children and adults in Southern California needed treatment after fuel dumped by a Delta airliner fell onto several area schools.
CBS Los Angeles reports that about 20 children and 11 adults at Park Avenue Elementary School in Cudahy, Calif., reported a reaction after they were exposed to jet fuel that fell on a playground, according to Los Angeles County firefighters.
Several more students and adults at San Gabriel Avenue Elementary and Tweedy Elementary in South Gate, Jordan High and 93rd Street Elementary in South Los Angeles and Graham Elementary in Inglewood were also treated.
Some patients complained of skin and eye irritation; they were treated with soap and water and were not taken to the hospital.
Los Angeles County firefighters confirmed that the substance was, in fact, jet fuel and said that all injuries were minor.
The fuel was dumped from a plane making an emergency return to Los Angeles International Airport.
Diego Martinez, 12, says some of the jet fuel landed on his sweatshirt.
“They gave us some soap to like put on our arms to wash our head, our face and the back of our ears and our neck,” he said.
Delta Air Lines addressed the issue in a statement that read:
“This morning, Delta Flight 89 from LAX to Shanghai reported a mechanical issue and returned safely to LAX. Delta has confirmed that the aircraft conducted an emergency fuel release while in flight. We are concerned about reports of impacts on the ground from the fuel release and are in close communication with Delta and first responders as their investigators continue. We thank LA County Fire, the LA Fire Department and other responding agencies for their fast response and we are working to learn more.”
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a statement regarding the fuel dump that read, in part:
“There are special fuel-dumping procedures for aircraft operating into and out of any major US airport. These procedures call for fuel to be dumped over designated unpopulated areas, typically at higher altitudes so the fuel atomizes and disperses before it reaches the ground."
