From Our Correspondent
NONGPOH, May 12: Over 40 people from Nongladew village in Ri-Bhoi were taken ill after attending a funeral service in Mariampur under Goalpara district of Assam.
As many as 41 villagers had attended the funeral on May 9, out of which 31 of them, following their return, were taken ill on May 10. Furthermore, 10 of them, who hadn’t returned home that day, were undergoing treatment at a hospital in Assam.
After being informed about the incident, health officials at Patharkhmah Community Health Centre (CHC) arranged for ambulances and other private vehicles to ferry the patients to the CHC for immediate treatment.
The villagers had reportedly consumed fish, potato, and dal during the funeral service, and many of them complained of illness when they returned home.
While the exact cause of the illness is yet to be ascertained, the villagers suspect that the fish, which they had consumed, was poisoned.
Dr. L. Gashnga from Patharkhmah CHC informed that the patients were admitted to the hospital and that some of them were discharged after receiving medical attention, while others were still under medical care.
Meanwhile, a team from the office of the District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO) of Ri-Bhoi was dispatched to Patharkhmah to collect samples of the patients for thorough testing to find out the exact cause of their illness.