UPDATED: Seven patients, including two adults and five children, have been rushed  to Christchurch Hospital following a chemist burns incident at a Christchurch kindergarten.

Emergency crews were notified at 1.13pm of the incident at Kindercare Woolston on Ferry Road.

One person is in a serious condition and six are in a moderate condition.

A further two patients were treated and referred to further care St John said. 40 patients were assessed by staff at the scene and were uninjured.

A father whose daughter was at the day care said, “My daughter was playing on the water slide that someone had accidentally put some chemical on the slide.”

“We are lucky my daughter only has a couple of blister burns on her hand, but as a father myself, I had no idea this was happening as I was at a course and found out from missing all these calls and messages.

“Love and prayers to my daughter’s friends that were affected by this.”

A parent whose child was injured in the incident said, “It was an absolute shock to receive that phone call.”

“These teachers are amazing and everyone makes mistakes. I do not blame anyone and I have spoken myself to the teacher involved in all of this and she is beside herself with grief.”

Her child was in hospital, and she said, “I would like it known that I have no anger towards anyone involved in this and he will remain going to this preschool until he goes to school next year.”

St John’s National Operations Manager Chris Harrison said the hazardous substance was some form of “detergent agent”.

Twenty emergency vehicles responded, including ambulances, rapid response units and operations managers.

Specialist paediatric and burns teams were treating the children at Christchurch Hospital’s emergency department.

A police spokeswoman said they were helping at the scene with traffic control.

An Education Ministry spokesperson said, “We are in close contact with the early learning service and are offering our support. We will continue to work alongside them regarding the incident and take any necessary steps to ensure the wellbeing of children and staff.”

A WorkSafe New Zealand spokesperson said “WorkSafe is in contact with Kindercare in Woolston about today’s incident.

“We have opened an investigation and will attend the scene to gather evidence and understand the circumstances.”