Over 100 school students in Odisha's Balasore were hospitalised after eating midday meal on Thursday. The incident was reported from Udayanarayan Nodal School in Sirapur village in Balasore when they were served rice and curry as part of their midday meal, media reports claimed. While eating, one of the students discovered a dead lizard in the food, following which the school authorities halted the distribution of the meal and told the students not to eat.
After eating the mid-day meal, several students of the school started experiencing stomach aches and chest pain symptoms, following which they were rushed to a nearest community health centre in ambulances and other vehicles.
After the incident was reported, a medical team visited the school to treat the students. Several students vomited after receiving medical care, following which they were rushed to the community health centre for further treatment.
Giving details to a news portal, an education officer said that an investigation would be conducted, and legal action would be taken against the people found guilty.
After receiving information about the incident, local MLA Madhab Dhada, along with members of the school management committee, visited the CHC to assess the condition of the affected students. He later stated that the students fell ill after consuming the contaminated rice in MDM.
Doctors at the community health Centre confirmed that the affected students are undergoing treatment, and a health team from the district headquarters collected rice samples for testing to determine the exact cause of the illness.
