74 students of Govt school fall ill in Vizag, food poisoning suspected

Visakhapatnam: Around 74 students of Kasturba Gandhi Girls School, located on the outskirts of Paderu in Visakhapatnam, were hospitalised due to food poisoning on Monday night.

According to officials, they were served dinner at 6 pm and half an hour later, the girls, all aged between 10 and 14 years, started vomiting and complained of severe stomach pain. Initially they were taken to Minumuluru Primary Health Centre and from there to district hospital at Paderu.

"They were served rice and sambar and it is likely sickness was caused by the rice. Condition of all the students is stable and except for five students others will be discharged by today evening," said superintendent of the district hospital Dr P Krishna Rao.

Food samples were collected and sent to Visakhapatnam lab, he said.

District Educational Officer L Chandrakala and other senior officials from the education department and revenue visited the school.