Four children aged 7 to 17 years old died Monday from gas poisoning in Amarillo, a city in the northern part of the U.S. state of Texas.

Six others were hospitalized after the accident, which occurred after a chemical reaction when one person tried to wash off a pesticide that had been sprayed at the victims' home, according to local TV station ABC13.

When mixed with water, the chemical creates phosphine gas, which can cause respiratory failure and in severe cases a pulmonary edema.

Fire Department officials in the city confirmed the accident, saying in a statement that one child died at the scene and three others died later at a hospital. The six others, the mother, father and four other children, are not out of danger yet.

source: Xinhua