Nine hospitalised, hundreds evacuated after chemical incident at Broadmeadows Aquatic Centre

Nine people have been rushed to hospital and hundreds evacuated after a chemical incident at a local Melbourne pool.

A call was made to emergency services after members of the public reported the smell of gas inside Broadmeadows Aquatic and Leisure Centre about 6.15pm on Friday.

“Firefighters arrived on scene within six minutes to find multiple people impacted by chemicals,” Fire Rescue Victoria said.

Paramedics treated multiple patients at the scene, nine of whom were taken to hospital for further treatment in stable conditions.

Fire Rescue Victoria said hazmat specialists in breathing apparatus found a positive reading for sodium hydrogen sulphate, forcing the evacuation of 200 people from the centre.

Hazmat specialists worked to ventilate the area and confirmed it was safe to reenter the centre about 8.16pm, they said.

Victoria Police and WorkSafe have both began investigations into the incident.