Just days after the family of four died due to food poisoning, three more people, including a brother-sister duo, died of the suspected poisoning in J&K’s Rajouri district on Friday.
This is the second case of food poisoning in the district. A total of seven people have lost their lives in a matter of a few days.
The incident happened just a day after authorities formed a four-member team to investigate and probe the earlier incident.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Abhishek Sharma has initiated a judicial probe into the deaths.
The officials said three siblings were brought to Kotranka civil hospital from Badhal village of Khawas this morning, where the seven-year-old Nazia Kousar breathed her last, while her elder brothers, Ishtiaq (9) and Ashfaq (11), were referred to Government Medical College (GMC) hospital for specialised treatment.
However, Ishtiaq also lost his life during the treatment at the Government Medical College, officials said.
Additionally, the other victim, Ruksar (12), was undergoing treatment at the hospital also in the afternoon on Thursday.
Ruksar's Fazal Hussain and three siblings—Rabia Kouser (15), Farmana Kouser (12) and Rafter Ahmad (four)—died on Sunday.
Taking serious note of the “unusual deaths," the director of health services (Jammu), Rakesh Magotra, set up a four-member doctor’s team for epidemiological investigation.
The investigating team will visit the district today, officials said, quoting an order issued by the DHSJ.
Furthermore, the Deputy Commissioner expressed his sympathies with the bereaved family and assured quick action.
He said, “Rapid sampling is underway, while several helplines have been activated to provide help to those in need.”
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