CTV News has learned that an explosion at an Ottawa high school has claimed the life of a student and sent several others to hospital.
The explosion occurred Thursday morning in an auto-shop class at Mother Teresa Catholic High School in the Ottawa suburb of Barrhaven.
CTV Ottawa's Joanne Schnurr said officials have confirmed that an 18-year-old male student died from head injuries suffered in the blast.
Schnurr reported that a 17-year-old male has also suffered severe internal injuries while three other students have been taken to hospital with minor injuries.
The students were working on a barbecue-related project when the explosion occurred at about 10:40 a.m.
"They were working with some sort of flame I believe, and there was a 45-gallon drum of peppermint oil nearby," Schnurr told CTV News Channel on Thursday afternoon.
"It's believed that fumes from that drum ignited and caused a flash explosion, and that caused this huge eruption that unfortunately killed this young student and severely injured another student."
It is not immediately clear what the oil was being used for.
A note posted on the Mother Teresa website on Thursday said the "school has been evacuated" to a nearby high school in the wake of the explosion.
Schnurr said it is "quite chaotic" at the school where the students have been moved to, with frantic parents wanting to find out if their children are okay.
The school board has dispatched its "serious incident team" to the scene and counsellors have been made available for staff and students.