MP: Man, 4 kids die after eating ‘snacks mixed with pesticides’

Tragedy struck a family at Nemkheda village in MP’s Damoh district when a man and his four children died on Friday after having snacks apparently contaminated with pesticides, official sources said.

Tragedy struck a family at Nemkheda village in MP’s Damoh district when a man and his four children died on Friday after having snacks apparently contaminated with pesticides, official sources said.

The mother of the four children – the lone member to survive the tragedy – is admitted to the Damoh district hospital.

Relatives claimed that the deaths could have been avoided if the doctor on duty was present at the Patera community health centre (CHC) when they rushed their kin there at 8.30pm. From there, they took Latori Patel, his wife Geeta, Diksha 10, Halli 7, Pushpendra 6 and Kajal 9 in an ambulance to the district hospital at 11.30 pm.

But it was too late as doctors declared Latori Patel, Diksha, Halli and Pushpendra brought dead, they said, adding that Kajal died while undergoing treatment.

Incidentally, Geeta had prepared ‘pakoras’ (a snack), and served them to her husband and children in the evening.

Damoh collector Shreenivas Sharma said an inquiry committee appointed under the sub-divisional magistrate visited the village on Saturday. “Prima facia, it seems that gram was kept along pesticides and later it was used to prepare the ‘pakoras’. An autopsy report will clear the facts in the case,” the collector said.

Dr Mukesh Ahirwar (on duty doctor) was not present at the CHC when the victims were brought there and block medical officer Dr DK Rai was at Damoh, Sharma added.