Four children of the anganwadi centre at the remote Guttalapai forested hamlet in the K.V.Palle mandal of the district, 100 km from here, were taken ill, two of them seriously, after they consumed some tablets meant for epilepsy patients.
The incident occurred on Monday evening.
After a delay of four hours, all the four were rushed to the government hospital at Piler and later shifted to the S.V.R.R. Hospital in Tirupati.
According to information, a 3-year-old boy brought some pills (which his mother, an epilepsy patient used to consume) with him in the afternoon, and consumed a couple of them.
Three other children also picked them from his bag and gulped them. Around 3.30 pm, the kids were found vomiting and falling unconscious.
Some villagers rushed them to the government hospital at Jillellamanda panchayat nearby, but found no medical officer and paramedical staff there.
District Coordinator, Rashtriya Bala Swastha Karyakram (RBSK) Annareddy Sudarshan confirmed that the children had taken ill.
He also said that the area medical officer Haranath was not available in the hospital when the villagers reached there.