One more child has died in the mid-day meal tragedy in Chhapra taking the toll to 23, while 25 others, including 24 children and a cook, were under treatment in the Patna Medical College and Hospital.
The district administration has come to know about the death of a child who was buried by family-members without informing the authorities, Saran District Magistrate Abhijit Sinha told PTI.
Seventeen school children died in the Sadar Hospital in Chhapra, four were declared brought dead on arrival at PMCH on late Tuesday night and two lost their lives during treatment at PMCH yesterday.
PMCH Superintendent Amarkant Jha Azad contradicted media reports about some fresh deaths, including that of the cook Manju Devi.
“The condition of all 25, including 24 children and woman cook Manju Devi, is improving,” Azad told PTI.
Saran DM said officials had visited every house in the vicinity of Dharmasati Gandavan village to find out about any deaths that had not come to the knowledge of the authorities.
He said the Principal of the school Meena Devi was absconding with her husband and the police was conducting raids against them. The Principal, against whom an FIR has been lodged, has already been suspended by the administration.
The DM said the Government primary school, where the tragedy took place, had been closed till further orders.