At least 100 people, mostly children and women, were taken ill after consuming sherbet from a kiosk located near a Shiva temple during the Shivaratri celebrations at Raisunguda village near Salepur, 30 km from here, on Wednesday evening.
While two critically ill children were shifted to the SCB Medical College Hospital here, the hospital was expecting more patients as the conditions of many were not improving at the Salepur hospital and other nearby hospitals.
“Among the two admitted here, condition of one child is stated to be critical; and she is under observation,” informed SCB Hospital Emergency Officer Dr BN Moharana. He said preliminary reports indicated that the patients were suffering food poisoning.
Sources said a large number of people had consumed curd sherbet from the makeshift kiosk near the temple. Reports said all those who had taken sherbet complained of stomach ache and vomiting tendencies after a few minutes.
Cuttack District Chief Medical Officer (CDMO) Dr BK Patnaik, who rushed to the affected areas, informed that while 40 people were admitted to the Salepur hospital, more than 30 each are also undergoing treatment in the nearby Raisunguda and Mahanga hospitals.