Child and two others hospitalised after hydrochloric acid leaked into a spa at Sydney aquatic centre

A popular aquatic centre was evacuated and a four-year-old boy and two others rushed to hospital after 70 litres of hydrochloric acid leaked into a spa.

More than 150 people were forced out of the Hurstville Aquatic Centre in Sydney’s south on Monday morning when a fault in the pool’s storage system sparked the leak.

The hydrochloric acid leak released a chemical vapour cloud in the facility’s communal pool area, leaving children struggling to breath.

A four-year-old boy and two others were rushed to hospital after hydrochloric acid leaked into a spa at the Hurstville Aquatic Centre

Firefighters in hazmat suits descended on the aquatic centre in Sydney’s south as more than 150 people were evacuated

Paramedics treated nine people at the scene, with the boy and two males, 17 and 23, taken to St George Hospital in a stable condition.

‘Hydrochloric acid, being a fairly irritant acid, has irritated everybody’s airways,’ NSW Ambulance Inspector David Stride said. 

‘When a patient is exposed to any type of chemical there’s always an unknown to the extent of their injury.

‘Incidents like this can happen in a matter of seconds so it’s always important to be aware of your surroundings.

Three people were taken to nearby St George Hospital in a stable condition

Paramedics and firefighters were called to the scene on Monday morning

‘With the help of FRNSW and bystanders we did a fantastic job in evacuating the entire facility.’

FRNSW said the leak is believed to be linked to a malfunction within the pool’s automated filtration system.

The acid vapour has been cleared through natural and fan-driven ventilation, although specialists were still monitoring the centre’s air quality on Monday afternoon.