Three minor siblings die of food poisoning in Malkangiri

MALKANGIRI: Three children in Kacheli village under Malkangiri block reportedly died of food poisoning in the tribal-dominated Malkangiri district on Thursday. Another sibling and their mother also fell sick and were hospitalised.

The three kids were identified as Sukanti Madhi (12), her brother Sitaram (7) and sister Anjali (3). Their mother and another sister are  and undergoing treatment in the district headquarters hospital (DHH).Sources said five of the family complained of uneasiness, vomiting and diarrhoea after taking dinner. While two of the four children died in their house in the night, one succumbed in the hospital.

Additional district medical officer (ADMO) Shanklap Keshari Bhola said two kids and their mother were admitted to the DHH on Wednesday night. The girl, who was critical, died early in the morning. The condition of the mother and another daughter is stable and they are responding well to the treatment.

A team of doctors visited the village on the day to ascertain the cause of the deaths. Bhola said 12 members of the family  had consumed wild kanda (a bulbous esculent root) which they had collected from the forest on Wednesday. But five persons suffered from food poisoning after consuming the root.