CHONGQING, March 28 (Xinhua) -- More than 4,000 students have been affected as classes were suspended in their schools following the gas leak in Gaoqiao Town of Kaixian County, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, said an official with the local government.

    Three schools near the leakage site have been closed and another three used to house evacuees, Jiang Bocheng, head of the Kaixian Education Committee.

    None of the students from the six primary and high schools in the town was injured, added Jiang.

    "The school authorities took timely emergency measures to evacuate students and suspend classes after the accident took place," he said.

    "We will try our best to resume classes for third graders in junior high school by Wednesday as they will take senior high school entrance exams soon," he said.

    "Time to resume lessons for other students will be determined when the leakage accident is over."

    More than 10,000 residents living within one kilometer of the well were evacuated and measures to cap the leaking gas well are still under way.

    Local government workers are monitoring the air and water quality within one kilometer of the leaking well, and report the results every one hour. No water or air pollution has been reported.

    The leak was discovered at the well belonging to the China National Petroleum Corporation's Sichuan Provincial Petroleum Administration Saturday morning. No casualty has been reported.

    The gas well is within the vicinity of the Luojia No. 16H Gas Well, where a deadly gas blowout killed 243 people on Dec. 23, 2003.

    Ma Fucai, then CNPC's general manager, resigned in April 2004 for his negligence in security measures that led to the deadly accident. Enditem