16th victim dies as probe into ‘illness’ deaths in J&K begin

Jammu, Jan 17: The toll in the ‘mysterious’ deaths in J&K’s Rajouri district rose to 16 as an elderly woman of Budhaal village died on Friday.
Officials said that the death toll in Budhaal village rose to 16 with the death of an elderly woman in a hospital on Friday. Sixteen deaths have occurred within 45 days in Budhaal village as samples analysed at various premier laboratories of the country have ruled out any viral or bacterial infection.
Officials said that 60-year-old woman, Jatti Begum breathed her last at government medical college Hospital in Rajouri on Friday.
J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday chaired a high-level meeting to discuss the alarming situation in Budhaal village of Rajouri district where 16 lives have died due to an unexplained illness. Omar Abdullah directed health and police departments to expedite their investigations.
“The unexplained nature of these deaths is deeply concerning and the government is committed to ensuring that the root cause is identified at the earliest. I urge all departments to collaborate and leave no stone unturned in resolving this issue,” he said. (PTI)