Two women died of suspected food poisoning after consuming prasadam served at a temple near Mettupalayam in Coimbatore on Thursday.
Loganayagi, 60, and Savithri, 60, from Nadar Colony near Mahadevapuram in Mettupalayam had complained of stomach pain and diarrhoea allegedly after consuming the prasadam — aval (rice flakes) mixed in ghee — served at Mariamman temple on Tuesday. The women died in their houses on Thursday.
Many devotees who consumed the prasadam had sought treatment at Mettupalayam Government Hospital with complaints of diarrhoea and stomach pain.
S. Cheralathan, Chief Medical Officer of Mettupalayam Government Hospital, said Loganayagi and Savithri were not among the 60 persons who sought treatment for stomach ache and diarrhoea. Out of the 60, 36 persons, including six children, were admitted to the hospital.
“Actual cause of the deaths could be ascertained only after post-mortem. Condition of all those who sought treatment at the hospital are stable,” said M. Chandhirasekaran, Joint Director of Health Services.
The police and Health Department officials suspect that the contamination was caused by ghee used in the rice flakes that was served as prasadam . It is suspected that poor quality ghee used for lighting lamps were used for the preparation of the prasadam . The police added that they are yet to receive a complaint from the families of the deceased in connection with the deaths.
B. Vijayalalithambigai, Designated Officer of FSSAI in Coimbatore, said that food safety officials who visited the area could not collect samples of the prasadam or ingredients for clinical examination. “Though we checked at several houses near the temple for samples of the prasadam , we could not get any” she said.
A food safety official who visited the houses of the deceased said that the women had not visited the temple for the function but could not confirm if family members or neighbours gave them the prasadam .
