2 children dead after consuming stale prasad; CM announces ex-gratia

Baripada: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday expressed sadness over death of two children in Mayurbhanj district due to food poisoning and announced compensation of Rs 1 lakh each from the CM's Relief Fund to the families of the deceased.

Earlier in the day, the two children died and six others fell critically ill after consuming stale prasad at Sananuagaon under Chandua police limits in the district on Friday night.

The deceased have been identified as Durga Singh (4) and Sambhu Nayak (7). All the victims are between six to ten years old, the sources said.

According to sources, a girl student of the area, who had appeared in the recently concluded annual Matriculation examination, offered stale prasad to the kids. After consuming the prasad, all the children suffered from loose motion and vomiting, sources added.

When the health condition of the children worsened, they were rushed to the Baripada hospital.

Meanwhile, the family members of the children have handed over the girl, who distributed the prasad, to police.