Five Children Taken to Hospital in Lugo After Mistaking Ecstasy Pills for Sweets
Listen to the story
Five schoolchildren in Lugo, Spain, were taken to hospital after mistaking drug pills for sweets.
The children were riding on a school bus when they found the small pills.
Thinking the pills were candy, the children ate them without knowing what they really were.
The pills may have been ecstasy, a type of illegal drug that affects the brain.
After eating the pills, the children began to feel unwell.
Adults reacted quickly and took the children to the Hula hospital in Lugo for medical help.
Doctors at the hospital examined and treated the children for possible drug effects.
It is not yet clear how the pills ended up on the school bus.
Local authorities are likely to investigate how the drugs got there in the first place.
This kind of incident is worrying because young children cannot tell the difference between drugs and sweets.
Parents and schools may be reminded to check school buses carefully for any dangerous items.
The case highlights the risks of drugs being left in places where children can easily find them.
Vocabulary10 words
- school bus
- a bus used to take children to and from school
- ecstasy
- an illegal drug that changes how the brain works
- Hula
- the name of the hospital in Lugo where the children were treated
- investigate
- to try to find out the truth about something
- incident
- something that happens, often unexpected or unwanted
- mistake
- to think something wrong by accident
- illegal
- not allowed by law
- authorities
- people or groups in charge, like police or government
- medical
- connected to doctors and health care
- treat
- to give care to someone who is sick
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Quiz
Answer key
1. Sweets 2. On a school bus 3. False
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Five schoolchildren in Lugo, Spain, were taken to _____ after mistaking drug pills for sweets.
The children were riding on a school _____ when they found the small pills.
Thinking the pills were _____, the children ate them without knowing what they really were.
The pills may have been _____, a type of illegal drug that affects the brain.
After eating the pills, the children began to feel _____.
Adults reacted quickly and took the children to the _____ hospital in Lugo for medical help.
Doctors at the hospital _____ and treated the children for possible drug effects.
It is not yet clear how the pills ended up on the school _____.
Local authorities are likely to _____ how the drugs got there in the first place.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think young children could not tell the pills were not sweets?
- What could schools or bus companies do to prevent something like this happening again?
- Why is it dangerous for children to find and eat unknown pills?
- Do you think this kind of incident is common? Why or why not?
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