75 tribals in Andhra village fall sick after eating stale meat, 8 critical

While the eight seriously ill tribals are undergoing treatment at the government area hospital at Paderu, the others were treated at primary health centre at G Madugula block headquarters.

Around 75 Adivasis fell sick, eight of them seriously, after eating stale cow meat, in the tribal areas of G Madugula block in Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam district, officials said on Thursday.

Local YSR Congress Party and TDP leaders also called on the affected tribals. (HT photo)

While the eight seriously ill tribals are undergoing treatment at the government area hospital at Paderu, the others were treated at primary health centre at G Madugula block headquarters.

“All of them are out of danger and have been kept under observation,” Paderu legislator Kottagulli Bhagyalakshmi, who called on the victims at the hospital in the morning, told reporters.

According to G Madugula deputy tehsildar (block revenue officer) K Appala Swamy, about 20 tribal families belonging to Magathapalem hamlet under Gaduthuru gram panchayat limits, had feasted on the meat of a cow which was killed due to electrocution in the fields on Monday evening.

“The tribals had consumed the meat even on Tuesday. Apparently, it was not properly cooked and that led to food poisoning. Around 75 tribals, including children, fell sick and suffered from vomiting and diarrhoea. On coming to know about the incident on Wednesday morning, we rushed there and shifted them in three ambulances and a couple of private jeeps to G Madugula primary health centre, where they were treated by the doctors,” he said.

G Madugula police inspector J D Babu and sub-inspector Upendra also helped the authorities in shifting the seriously ill tribals to Paderu.

Local YSR Congress Party and TDP leaders also called on the affected tribals.