Cause of Outbreak of Illness at Disneyland Undetermined

ANAHEIM — The cause of a sickness that affected 30 people on Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean ride over the weekend has not been determined, a spokeswoman for the park said Sunday afternoon.

But two of the six persons who were treated Saturday night at a hospital for coughing, tight chests, burning eyes, skin blotches and nausea said a doctor told them that “a gas, something like Mace” apparently caused their symptoms. Mace is a chemical compound that combines the effects of a tear gas and nerve gas, and temporarily stuns its victims.

Disneyland spokeswoman Jill Ornelas said Sunday she could not confirm whether it was a Mace-like gas that temporarily shut down the popular indoor boat ride and forced its evacuation.