More than 150 children have been hospitalized in Bihar’s Saharsa district after allegedly consuming food that was part of the midday meal at school. According to a senior official, the incident took place at a high school in Baluaha village in the district.
Panicked family members of the affected children claimed that a dead snake was found in a container used to store cooked pulses at the school.
What happened:
“We have received information that several children have fallen ill after consuming mid-day meal at Baluaha,” a PTI report said, quoting Sahara District Magistrate Deepesh Kumar.
The official said 115 children were treated at Sadar Hospital while around 50 students were admitted at Mahishi Public Health Centre.
“The children were initially treated at the primary health center but later many of them were referred to the Sadar hospital,” Kumar said.
He assured that the health condition of the students is improving even if they remain under medical supervision. Some students are being treated for mild fevers, but officials urged parents not to panic.
“According to the doctors, the health condition of the children has improved but they will be under observation for some time,” Kumar said. “There is no need to panic. Some children have a mild fever. They are treated accordingly.”
Was there a snake in the lunch?
Family members of some of the children claimed that a snake was found in a container in which cooked pulses were kept at the school, according to a PTI report.
By the time the snake was spotted, approximately 200 of the 545 students present had already consumed the food. Shortly after eating, the children began to complain of stomach pains and vomiting.
Food samples are tested
In response to the serious allegations regarding the snake, the District Magistrate noted that food samples were taken from the school premises. He said authorities are awaiting lab results before making an official statement on the exact cause of the contamination.
“We will be able to comment on this only after the results of the tested samples arrive,” he said.
