200 Children Fall Ill After Eating Sweets 'Infected With Fungus' Distributed During School Celebration

At least 200 students fell ill after eating contaminated sweets distributed during the Republic Day celebrations at a school in the southern Indian state of Telangana on Sunday,

According to local reports, several students complained of vomiting and uneasiness after consuming sweets distributed by the school authorities during the celebration. The students were immediately rushed to local hospitals for treatments.

Confirming the incident, the school authorities said, "We immediately shifted 140 students to government hospital in Makthal for treatment as they had complained of vomiting and stomach ache. While about 40 students are being treated at local primary healthcare in Karni village, others are given first aid and were sent home.”

Speaking to local media, an unidentified student said the sweets were contaminated.

“The sweets distributed were of poor quality and were infected with fungus because of which many students had fallen ill," the student said.

While some of the students remained under observation at the hospital, the parents demanded stringent action against all those responsible for the food poisoning.

The incident comes days after at least 50 people, including children, in the Indian state of Odisha fell ill after eating food from a container that had a dead snake in it. Several people started vomiting and complained of uneasiness after eating food during a community feast organized by a self-help group. They were taken to a nearby hospital and doctors said “they showed signs of food poisoning.”