85 students fall ill after eating midday meal in Bihar school

The doctors who examined the children did not find any sign of poisoning in their bodies.

At least 85 children fell ill on Wednesday after eating midday meal in a government school in Samastipur district of Bihar, officials said.

Sixteen million students in 72,000 schools across Bihar get a midday meal daily. (HT File)

“Soon after the children consumed their meal at a primary school in Akbarpur Pitaurdiya village, they complained of uneasiness, which led to vomiting and some students falling unconscious,” a district official said.

All the children were admitted to Sadar Hospital and later discharged, the officials said.

The district education officer Brajesh Kumar Ojha has asked the block education officer to probe into the incident and submit a report soon.

The samples of the meal have been collected by the police for forensic examination. The doctors who examined the children did not find any sign of poisoning in their bodies.

However, parents of some children told the district officials that two girl students found a dead lizard in the midday meal served to them.

In 2013, 23 students died after eating midday meal at a primary school in Saran district. Sixteen million students in 72,000 schools across Bihar get a midday meal daily.