Tornado experiment mishap in museum injures 8 children, 4 adults

An attempt to recreate a tornado in a science experiment has injured 13 people, including several children. Eight children and two adults needed hospital treatment for smoke inhalation and minor burns after the ill-fated experiment at the Terry Lee Wells Discovery Museum in Reno, Nevada. Several suffered acid burns to their hands, arms and faces.

It was terrifying. The one tornado wasn’t going, no one really thought anything of it and then she was like, I forgot to add this and added it, then everything exploded.

Jackie Rider speaking to CNN affiliate KOLO.

Another four people were treated at the scene. Police said emergency crews were called to reports of a possible explosion shortly after 4pm local time on Wednesday. City of Reno spokesman Matthew Brown said a preliminary investigation found that rather than an explosion, the routine experiment had created a “chemical flash”. Officials said museum staff were using a methyl alcohol and boric acid mixture to exhibit the whirling effect of a tornado.

Reno Americas