A group of students from a British private school are among nearly 200 young people who have been hit by a severe case of food poisoning at a French ski resort. At least 197 children staying at the UCPA residence in La Plagne 1800 in the Savoie region, southeast France, fell ill with gastroenteritis on Tuesday (March 31), according to local media.

Among those sick are a group of students from a private co-educational school in Bath. It remains unclear how many Brits have fallen ill and what condition they are in, but they are among students from Canada, France and Belgium who have also been affected. At least five teachers and several other members of staff are also reported to be exhibiting symptoms of vomiting and diarrhoea. Those who have fallen ill are being treated in the centre, with some placed on IV drips as authorities converted the hotel into a makeshift hospital ward.

There are currently 409 children and 30 accompanying adults staying at the centre, which hosts summer camps and school ski trips. Firefighters were mobilised to the scene on Wednesday morning (April 1) to assist with the evacuation, with several doctors also dispatched.

Mayor Jean-Luc Boch confirmed that the incident appeared to be a “severe case of gastroenteritis spreading among the children,” adding that authorities were awaiting advice from the Regional Health Authority.

“We’ll have to make a decision, and we want to avoid a lockdown and the building’s closure,” he said.

According to several witnesses, gastroenteritis cases are not new to the UCPA establishment in La Plagne 1800. According to the head of sports at a French high school, this was not the first time his students had fallen ill at the holiday centre.

“Back in January, when we came, 15 kids got sick during their stay. And now it’s happening again. We’re so frustrated!” he told local news outlet Le Dauphine. “The UCPA management is telling us it’s our fault, that we brought the disease home. But every time we come to a holiday camp, we bring our masks and disinfect every door handle because we know that being in a group carries risks.

“We’re used to all this. Just yesterday at 4.30pm, a child vomited before even getting on the chairlift. We had to take him back to the UCPA, and there were already other kids who were sick. These are trips to the biggest resorts in the world that all these kids look forward to, and some of them have never even skied in their lives. Now, everything’s ruined.”