Three children died and at least 80 people were hospitalised after suffering from suspected food poisoning during a
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Some of the patients were discharged after treatment, while around 41 are still admitted to various hospitals.
Officials said village resident Subhash Mane had invited around 250 people for the function at a local temple to celebrate his new house. Around 150 guests are suspected to have consumed the food offered. When some of them started complaining of nausea and vomiting, they were taken to Parvati Hospital in Khopoli.
When the number started increasing, the patients were taken to Gandhi Hospital, Pracheen Hospital and Mohite Hospital in Panvel, MGM Hospital in Kamothe, Shelar, Ashtavinayak and Chirayu hospitals in Khanda colony, DY Patil Hospital in Nerul, and KEM and Sion hospitals.
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The deceased children have been identified as Kalyani Shingude (7), Rishikesh Shinde (12) and his cousin, Pragati Shinde (13), the Khalapur police said.
Samples being tested
Raigad Zilla Parishad CEO Abhay Yavalkar said, “The food inspector and the police have collected samples of the food and have sent them for tests. Our first priority was to save lives and provide timely treatment, which we started immediately after learning about the incident.”
Khalapur Nagar Panchayat member Bala Patil said that around 11 p.m., Mr. Mane told him about people feeling nauseated after consuming the food. “We started sending them to Mohite Hospital in Panvel for primary treatment. We visited every household to check if there was anyone who had consumed the food, and sent them to the hospital even if they were not experiencing any discomfort,” he said.
Mr. Mane said he had organised a Ganesh and Satyanarayan puja at home in the morning, and the food was served from 3 p.m. “Guests were eating till 11 p.m. I don’t know how many people had eaten the food, as there were leftovers enough to feed at least a 100 more people. The first person to complain of nausea was my niece. We took her to hospital, and then my wife and daughter complained of discomfort. My wife is in MGM Hospital and daughter is in Ashtavinayak Hospital,” Mr. Mane said.
He said he had only bought the raw material and outsourced the cooking of the meal, which included dal, rice, puri, a vegetable curry and papad.
Cause unknown
Santosh Jambhale, the village talathi, said, “The food inspector suspects the dal was spoilt as it was cooked in morning and was being served even at night. Only the test reports will confirm the cause of poisoning.”
Additional Superintendent of Police Sanjaykumar Patil from Raigad said the police had collected samples of the cooked food and the raw ingredients. “Prima facie, it is a case of food poisoning. We can take action only after the test reports come. We also had a dog squad and forensic team at the spot to collect evidence.”
Senior Police Inspector Vishwajeet Kaingade from Khalapur police station said it was difficult to establish the exact number of people who fell ill as they were treated at different hospitals.
Mr. Mane works as a gardener in five bungalows nearby. “Being a gardener, he stores insecticide in the house. Villagers also use insecticide in backyards and fields to keep away snakes and other reptiles. We are looking at the possibility of someone having touched the insecticide and then come into contact with the food. We are also not ruling out the possibility of mischief in the case,” Mr. Kaingade said.
A case of accidental death has been registered with the Khalapur police.