Two primary school children hospitalised after ingesting pills found in schoolyard

Two children aged six and seven were admitted to Ullevål Hospital in Oslo on Thursday evening after reportedly ingesting pills they found in the schoolyard of Refstad School, Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet reports.

The pupils, both students at the school in the Økern district, fell ill after allegedly consuming what they believed might have been candy. Police conducted searches around the school but found no additional evidence.

“It appears they were playing in the schoolyard and found something they put in their mouths. It may have looked like sweets,” Thomas Pedersen Enger, crime unit leader at Oslo Police District, told Dagbladet.

Pernille Fleischer, also of Oslo Police District, confirmed on Friday that investigators had secured traces and taken samples from the children, though the substance has not yet been identified. The pupils are reported to be recovering.

“This is a serious case,” Fleischer said. “It will be handled by the East Unit from Monday. Police have opened an investigation and secured evidence. So far, there are no suspects.”

School principal Magnus Nesset-Kristiansen sent a message to parents on Thursday warning that multiple pills had been found in the schoolyard and submitted for analysis by the Poison Information Centre. He urged parents to monitor their children for symptoms and discuss the incident with them.

Nesset-Kristiansen described the situation as “very sad” but confirmed the hospitalised children were improving. He noted growing concern among parents following recent serious incidents in the area, including a fatal shooting nearby last weekend.

“I’m worried about the development,” the principal said, calling the neighbourhood “idyllic and rural.” He added that while he had not personally observed criminal activity near the school, parents had reported suspected drug dealing in the evenings.

“We cannot downplay this. People get worried when something like this happens in the neighbourhood,” Nesset-Kristiansen said. The school plans to follow up with police and local sports clubs to address the issue.

Refstad School had previously relocated in 2018 due to demolition but returned to its current Økern location in 2024 after new facilities were built.