GIRARD, Ill. (AP) — About 60 middle school students were sent to Springfield-area hospitals Monday when they became ill due to a suspected carbon monoxide leak, school district and fire officials said.

Affected students were largely middle-school aged at North Mac Intermediate School in Girard and were conscious and talking as they were taken away in ambulances, North Mac school superintendent Marica Cullen said. Students not taken to local hospitals were taken to nearby churches where they were being monitored for signs of illness, authorities said.