Maharashtra's govt college students fall ill after having dinner at hostel

LATUR: Nearly 50 female students of a government college were hospitalized for suspected food poisoning after having dinner at their hostel in Maharashtra's Latur city, officials said on Sunday. The hostel, part of the Puranmal Lahoti Government Polytechnic, has 324 female students. At around 7 pm on Saturday, the students had dinner, consisting of rice, chapattis, 'okra' curry and lentil soup, the officials said.

By 8.30 pm, several of them felt nauseous and some of the students started vomiting, they said. Upon receiving the information, the college principal rushed to the spot and informed Dr Uday Mohite, dean of the Vilasrao Deshmukh Government Medical College and Hospital in Latur. The affected students were immediately taken to the hospital in ambulances. Nearly 50 students were admitted to the hospital for treatment by midnight, Dr Mohite told PTI. Twenty of them were discharged by 3 am on Sunday, he said. The other 30 students were undergoing treatment at the hospital. None of them was in critical condition, he said.

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"Two girls experienced vomiting after dinner, and others complained of nausea, following which they were admitted to the hospital. Immediate treatment, including administering saline where required, is undergoing. All the girls are in stable condition, and the entire medical team is present and providing care," Dr Mohite said. Parents of the students have been assured there is no need to worry, he said.

"Upon receiving reports of some hostel students being unwell, we reached there immediately. All the affected students were sent for treatment. A thorough health check-up is being conducted to ensure no further risk to any student. There is no cause for concern. Some girls are kept in the hospital to help the affected students," the college principal, VD Nitnaware, told PTI. The Shivajinagar police were informed about the incident, he said. Police arrived at the scene and the authorities collected the food samples.

The cause of food poisoning will be determined after the samples report is received, he said. After receiving information about the incident, Latur's Lok Sabha member Shivaji Kalge visited the hospital to enquire about the students' health. The Congress MP also contacted Latur Collector Varsha Thakur Ghuge and urged her to take action against those responsible for the incident.