Death toll in Bihar mid-day meal tragedy mounts to 22

The death toll due to consumption of spurious mid-day meal at a government primary school in Bihar’s Saran district rose to 22 today.

While 16 children, aged below 10 years and studying in Class I to V, had died in Chhapra, four others were declared dead on arrival at the Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH) late last night. Two died at the hospital this morning, PMCH sources said.

Among the dead were two children of a woman cook of the mid-day meal project Panno Devi. Three children of another woman cook Manju Devi are under treatment at PMCH along with her.

Twenty five others are under medical supervision, Superintendent of PMCH Amarkant Jha Azad said.

The Superintendent said the ailing children were admitted to ICU and senior doctors were attending to them round-the-clock.

The tragedy took place at the government primary school in Dahrmasati Gandawan village at Mashrakh block, about 25 km from Chhapra and 60 km from the state capital yesterday.

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