70 students fall ill in suspected food poisoning in Thane school: Officials

Officials said the incident took place shortly after lunchtime at Gadgebaba Ashram School in Shahapur, which is being run under a tribal development

Thane: Nearly 70 students of an ashram school of Gadgebaba Ashram School in Shahpur tehsil in Maharashtra’s Thane district fell ill in a suspected food poisoning allegedly after eating lunch on Wednesday afternoon, officials aware of the matter said.

(Representative Photo)

Officials said the incident took place shortly after lunchtime at the ashram school, being run under a tribal development, located in Bhatsai area in Shahpur.

Initially, 25 to 30 students complained of stomach ache, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea after consuming lunch at the school supplied by a donor, said officials. Later, the number rose to nearly 70, and around 10 students are in critical condition. All of them have been admitted to a government hospital in Shahapur, said officials.

According to the information received from the tehsil office, the lunch, which contained pulao and Gulab Jamun, was supplied by a family from Washind.

Shahapur Hospital health officer said more than 250 students are studying in the Gadgebaba ashram school, out of which 60 to 70 students consumed lunch, and preliminary information about poisoning has come to light.

Of the 70 students, 10 are in intensive care unit as their condition is critical, said the doctor.