Suspected food poisoning kills four, leaves 17 ill in Odisha’s Sundargarh

Sundargarh: A suspected case of food poisoning claimed four lives and left at least 17 others ill after they attended a post-funeral ritual feast at Nuadihi village under Hemgiri block in Odisha’s Sundargarh district, reports stated Saturday. The deceased were identified as Mangal Sai Nayak of Nuadihi village and Raibari Pradhan from Hemgiri in Sundargarh district, and Ullas Khadia of Sunakhain village under Atabira panchayat and Sukanti Khadia from neighbouring Jharsuguda district.

According to reports, several attendees started suffering from vomiting, stomach pain and diarrhoea shortly after consuming food served at the feast. Around 17 people reportedly fell ill in the incident. Of them, 10 were admitted to the Hemgiri Community Health Centre (CHC) for treatment, while four critically ill patients from Jharsuguda district are undergoing treatment at different hospitals.

Officials said food samples are expected to be collected for examination, while a joint investigation by police and the Health Department is underway to ascertain the exact cause of the deaths and illnesses.