About two dozen children were rushed  to a hospital after accidentally drinking water contaminated with a bleaching agent at a day dare center in Jersey City Thursday. The children were among about 30 people taken to the emergency room and evaluated. 

Staff at the Growing Tree Learning Center on Fifth Street said the kids were having a morning snack of fruit, when they were served water poured from a repurposed milk bottle. A staff member reportedly smelled bleach on the bottle after the water was distributed, and immediately took away drinking cups from the children and called 911. 

Like Us on Facebook

In a few minutes, at least four ambulances and a medical ambulance bus were on the scene and started evacuating the children to the Jersey City Medical Center. Police and fire response teams also arrived to help. 

According to a CBS report, emergency crews some of the children had stomach aches and were treated at the scene before being taken to the hospital.  Jersey Medical Center spokesman Mark Rabson said their vital signs were monitored and they were given milk and water to dilute the bleach they have ingested. 

Michael Bessette, Chairman of Emergency Medicine at the center, said a staff member at the day care center had used a repurposed milk bottle to get water and give it to the children, without noticing that the bottle was used as a bleach container earlier. By the time another staff member noticed the water smelled of bleach, several children have already ingested the water.

"Unfortunately, it was not labeled and somebody thought it was regular water and had served some small Dixie cups of this solution to the children," Bessette said, adding that, fortunately, it was in a low concentration so it didn't cause any injury on the children.

Learning Tree's Executive Director Keith Kearney said the bleach-water solution was in a repurposed milk container with the labels still on. CBS reported that an investigation has been initiated to determine who could be responsible.

Parents have been informed earlier and many came to pick up their children later in the day.