3 hurt after NY university chemistry lab explosion

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — Police in upstate New York say three students were rushed to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after a chemical explosion at the University of Rochester.

Officials tell WHEC-TV (http://bit.ly/1umTnnm ) the explosion occurred Saturday afternoon in the basement of a building on campus as the graduate students worked in a chemistry lab.

The station says a mixture of chemicals and acidic waste may have caused the blast.

A university spokeswoman says they may have suffered acidic burns. Fire officials say all three students were immediately decontaminated. They were rushed to a hospital.

Officials say emergency crews recovered pieces of a container that contained a mixture of hydrochloric, nitric and sulfuric acids.

Officials say a small fire was extinguished and the building was eventually reopened.

___

Information from: WHEC-TV, http://www.10nbc.com

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up