Andhra Pradesh: 74 students fall ill after breakfast at tribal welfare school, CM orders probe

MAREDUMILLI: As many as 74 students of Devarapalli Government Tribal Welfare School here in Polavaram district fell ill after consuming idly and chutney served for breakfast, police said on Sunday. Rampachodavaram Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Sai Prashant said that a total of 255 students had breakfast at the school, following which several children complained of vomiting and stomach discomfort.

Eighteen students were shifted to Maredumilli Primary Health Centre (PHC), while the remaining were taken to Rampachodavaram Area Hospital.

"74 students of Devarapalli Government Tribal Welfare School developed illness after having idly and chutney served for breakfast," Prashant told PTI. All the affected students have been diagnosed with mild food poisoning and none is in serious condition, he said, adding, they were stable.

Also read Assam adds breakfast to mid-day meal scheme, aims to benefit 35 lakh school children

CM ordered to submit a report

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu reviewed the incident with senior officials and directed continuous monitoring of the students undergoing treatment at Rampachodavaram Area Hospital.

The CM ordered the district collector to submit a detailed report on the incident and instructed officials to take strict action against those responsible for negligence. Food safety and district officials collected samples of the food served and sent them for forensic analysis to ascertain whether the food was contaminated, officials said.

Meanwhile, police registered a case. The DSP said that the exact cause of the illness would be known only after the laboratory report is received.