Kabul , Afghanistan ( CNN ) -- At least 140 Afghan schoolgirls and female teachers were admitted to a local hospital Tuesday after drinking poisoned water , said local health officials , who blamed the act on extremists opposed to women 's education . The victims range in age from 14 to 30 and were taken to a hospital in Afghanistan 's northeastern Takhar province after their school 's water tank was contaminated , according to provincial health department director Dr. Hafizullah Safi . No deaths were reported , but more than half the victims partially lost consciousness , while others suffered dizziness and vomiting . `` Looking at the health condition of these girls , I can definitely say that their water was contaminated by some sort of poison , '' Safi said . `` But we do n't know yet what was the water exactly contaminated with . '' Taliban say they trained attackers . Local officials said they are investigating the incident at the Rostaq district school and are searching for the perpetrators . `` It is the work of those who are against girls ' education and peace and stability in Afghanistan , '' district administrator Malem Hussain said . In 2010 , more than 100 schoolgirls and teachers were sickened in a series of similar poisonings . During the Taliban 's rule from 1996 to 2001 , many Afghan girls were not allowed to attend school , though the schools began reopening after the regime was toppled by the U.S.-led invasion . Observers say , however , that abuse of women remains common in the post-Taliban era and is often accepted in conservative and traditional families , where women are barred from education and commonly subjected to domestic violence . Australia to accelerate withdrawal . In January 2011 , Afghan Education Minister Dr. Farooq Wardak told the Education World Forum in London that the Taliban had abandoned their opposition to girls ' education . But the group never offered a statement confirming or denying that claim . Female educational facilities , students and teachers , meanwhile , have come under vicious attack as the insurgency has spread outside Taliban strongholds in the southern provinces of Kandahar and Helmand . The country maintains one of the world 's youngest populations , though officials say literacy rates among both children and adults remain low .
At least 140 Afghan male and female teachers were taken to a local hospital . Their drinking water had been poisoned , health officials say . No deaths have been reported . In 2010 , more than 100 students and teachers were sickened in similar poisonings .