Three of a family found dead in Odisha, food poisoning suspected: Police

A senior district health official said samples of the food consumed by the family are likely to be collected for testing

Three members of a family, including a woman and her two sons, were found dead in their home at Itap village in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district on Monday in a suspected case of food poisoning, police said.

Police are examining whether the spinach consumed may have been contaminated or affected by a poisonous organism. (Representative file photo)

The victims were rushed to the Angul District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) in the morning after neighbours and relatives forced open the house door and found them lying unconscious. Doctors at the DHH declared all three brought dead.

According to preliminary police inputs, the family had eaten rice, spinach and chicken on Sunday night. The deceased have been identified as the mother, her middle son and her younger son. Other members of the family, who also reportedly consumed rice and chicken, did not fall ill and are stated to be stable, officials said.

Police said the bodies have been sent for post-mortem and the cause of death will be known after the autopsy report is received.

Police are examining whether the spinach consumed by the victims may have been contaminated or affected by a poisonous organism. Officials, however, said it is too early to confirm the source of poisoning.

A senior district health official said samples of the food consumed by the family are likely to be collected for testing. “We are awaiting the medical report. Only then can we ascertain the exact cause,” the official said.

Police have registered a case of unnatural death and further investigation is underway.