Three members of a family, including a woman and her two sons, died in a suspected case of food poisoning in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district on Monday. The incident was reported from Itap village under the Kantabania police station limits. Doctors at Angul District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) declared all three brought dead.

According to preliminary information, the victims fell ill after consuming a meal of rice, spinach and chicken at their residence. The deceased include the mother, her middle son and her younger son. Other family members who reportedly consumed rice and chicken remained stable.

On Monday morning, family members and neighbours grew concerned when there was no response from the house. They later broke open the door and found the three lying inside in a critical condition. The victims were immediately rushed to Angul DHH, where doctors declared them dead.

Cause Yet to Be Ascertained

While food poisoning is suspected to be the cause of death, the exact reason will be confirmed only after post-mortem examinations are conducted. Sources said there is a possibility that the spinach consumed by the deceased may have been contaminated or affected by a poisonous insect, though this remains unverified at the time of reporting.

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Family and Officials Await Post-Mortem Findings

No official medical statement had been issued by hospital authorities at the time of filing this report. The deceased are survived by the father and an elder son. Police said no reports of domestic disputes or other suspicious circumstances had surfaced so far.