100 villagers in Odisha’s Malkangiri fall sick after consuming lassi

At least 100 people, including children, fell ill after consuming lassi at a market in Odisha’s Malkangiri district on Friday, officials said

Updated on: May 1, 2021, 22:28:54 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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At least 100 people, including children, fell ill after consuming lassi at a market in Odisha’s Malkangiri district on Friday, officials said.

Image for representation. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

People of Kurti village under Padia block of Malkangiri had gone to weekly Kurti hat (fair) on Friday when they consumed lassi from a shop to beat the scorching heat. However, after returning home, most of them complained of severe stomach ache and started vomiting, the officials said.

“Around 60 of them turned serious around midnight and were immediately rushed to the nearby hospital in critical conditions. We suspect either the lassi was spurious or the lassi seller put something in the beverage that contaminated it,” said Prafulla Nanda, Malkangiri chief district medical officer. “We have sent the sample of the beverage to a laboratory for tests,” he added.

The CDMO said after receiving the information, a medical team reached the area and took stock of the situation. A fire service team has also been pressed into service to move the critical patients to the hospital.

“The condition of most of the patients is stable now. They were admitted to the hospital in time and provided quality treatment,” said a doctor.

Locals said some poisonous insect may have fallen into the drink while it was being prepared.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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