At least two women died and six others fell ill after allegedly consuming gruel made of mango kernel in Odisha's Kandhamal district. The consumption of mango kernel gruel, a simple dish made by boiling oats in milk or water, was reported from Mandipanka village under the Daringbadi block.
One of the two women died on Thursday night at Mohana Community Health Centre in Gajapati district where she was undergoing treatment after "consuming the grue", Gadapur sarpanch Kumari Mallick said. Another woman, who also fell sick, breathed her last when she was taken to the MKCG Medical College and Hospital here on Friday morning, the panchayat member said.
"Investigation team is there, after investigation and postmortem report, things will be clear. For those 6 who are hospitalised, govt will pay for the treatment. Their health condition is stable as of now. 2 people have lost their lives," said Odisha minister Mukesh Mahaling.
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Six others, who fell ill after allegedly consuming the gruel, were admitted to a hospital and their condition was critical, said Dr Subrat Das, a medical officer of the health facility.
“All six people have been admitted to the hospital in serious condition. We suspected that they fell sick due to food poisoning. The exact cause of the illness will be ascertained after completion of the investigation," he added.