The health teams in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district have intensified their efforts as part of an in-depth survey in the remote area after seven mysterious deaths, including those of children, the authorities said on Friday. Moreover, the authorities urged people not to panic as they closely monitor the situation.
The officials said that Rajouri Deputy Commissioner Abhishek Sharma along with the medical teams, made his second consecutive visit to the remote village on Friday to oversee the investigation into the death cases reported in two families.
Sharma and the health team met with locals and reiterated their commitment to addressing their concerns. Meanwhile, Budhal MLA Javed Iqbal Choudhary and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gaurav Sikarwar also visited the village to assess the situation and ensure coordinated action, the officials said.
Notably, seven persons including, a father and his four children and two other siblings, have died in Badhaal village in Kotranka since Sunday apparently due to food poisoning.
On Sunday, the first incident was suspected to be a case of food poisoning. However, following a second mysterious death in the village on Thursday, the deputy commissioner swung into action and deployed specialised health teams to collect food and water samples and conduct an in-depth survey of the area.
The officials added that five health department teams, under the close supervision of Rajouri Chief Medical Officer Manohar Rana, actively collected food and water samples. They said these samples were sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and a drugs laboratory for comprehensive analysis to ascertain the exact cause of the deaths.
(With inputs from agencies)
