Children rushed to hospital after fainting on-stage in Invercargill

St John spokesman Ian Henderson said six children aged 10 - 12 have been transported to Kew Hospital emergency department in a moderate condition. Photo / File

Nine children rehearsing for a singing contest at the Civic Theatre in Invercargill this afternoon have been rushed to hospital.

It is understood as many as 12 children fainted on-stage in the theatre about 1.15pm.

Children were evacuated from the site and four ambulances as well as a rapid response vehicle was sent to the scene.

St John spokesman Ian Henderson said six children aged 10 - 12 have been transported to Kew Hospital emergency department in a moderate condition.

Mr Henderson said the service had transported another three patients, aged between 10 and 12, to hospital.

There has been a total of nine children taken to hospital so far, he said.

The patients would be further assessed at hospital and St John Ambulance had no information on what the medical issue was.

It was understood to be a medical incident instead of a gas leak or a fire-related incident, he said.

Theatre manager Kate Feaver said emergency services were called to the scene after a number of school children, rehearsing for the ILT Schools' Singout, started fainting on stage.

There was nothing to indicate anything dangerous in the building that caused the children to faint, she said.

"The children were rehearsing on stage, under lights, on elevated platforms when the fainting episodes began. We understand that as many as 12 children were affected.

"An ambulance was called to the scene...Further emergency services were called as a precaution but there is nothing to indicate that there is anything dangerous in the building that has caused the children to faint.

"All the children had been evacuated from the site as a precaution and would be taken back to school by bus, she said.Firefighters were preparing to enter the Civic to check everything was safe."

In previous years children had fainted before on the stage during this type of rehearsal so theatre staff do not heat the stage area with so many children under the lights, Ms Feaver said.

The priority for staff and emergency services was to make sure the children were safe and looked after, she said.

Ms Feaver said the Civic management still did not know what had caused the mass fainting.

In the past groups larger than 12 had fainted at one time under the hot lights on the stage, she said.

There were roughly about 200 children in the Civic Theatre during today's practice and the children who fainted were from a number of different schools, Ms Feaver said.

"We don't really know if there's anything, if there's any concern with these children, if there's any reason why they got sick or if it's just on stage, under lights and getting hot.

"At this stage we're just going with the fact that they got a little bit hot, and some of them did have the flu.

"It is not uncommon to happen. I'm not minimising what has happened today because we don't know as yet."

There was no gas inside the Civic building so that was "never a concern", she said.

The Civic management would be waiting to hear the results of assessments on the children at hospital before taking any action, she said.

Fire Service spokesman Brent Dunn said crews had helped police to evacuate the theatre.

Firefighters had searched the Civic and surrounding buildings for gas and had now left the scene.

"We had searched the building and surrounding buildings with a gas detector, I haven't heard what the results are, however we have left the scene."