A science experiment at a Nevada museum on Wednesday went horribly wrong and exploded, sending children fleeing with acid burns on their hands, arms and faces.
The demonstration at the Terry Lee Wells Discovery Museum in Reno was supposed to show the effects of a tornado. But with children sitting on the floor just feet from the experiment table, chemicals seemed to ignite in the instructor’s hands and blow up, the New York Daily News reported.
Liquid and flames then hit the ground, near the seated children.
“It didn’t smell like anything caught on fire,” Joey Sanchez, who was visiting the museum with his 3-year-old at the time, told the Associated Press. “It smelled like burning chemicals.”
Emergency crews were called to the scene and the building was evacuated. Eight children and one adult were taken to the hospital and four more were treated at the scene.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.