Three minors, living in a home for the destitute in the knitwear district of Tiruppur, died on Thursday in a suspected case of food poisoning. At least 11 other inmates of the home were also said to have fallen sick and were undergoing treatment at the government hospital in Tiruppur.
Madesh (14), Aatish (11), and Babu (10) died on Thursday morning after they ate rasam rice for dinner on Wednesday night. The children were staying at the Sri Vivekananda Sevalayam in Ammapalayam, Tiruppur, which houses destitute children.
Tiruppur District Collector S Vineeth said all 14 children fell ill after dinner on Wednesday, and were rushed to the hospital. “The remaining are undergoing treatment. We were told that some children fainted and some vomited after dinner. They were taken to the hospital last night but three died on Thursday morning,” Vineeth said.
The district collector said since food poisoning is suspected to be the cause of death and students falling ill, authorities have been asked to collect food samples from the home and send them to a laboratory for testing. “Only after the results come, we will know the exact cause of their death,” the collector said, adding that samples of urine and excreta of the affected students have also been collected.
Police, officials from the Revenue Department and Child Protection Unit have begun separate inquiries into the incident.
(Published 06 October 2022, 10:35 IST)
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