Handwara, Sep 28: A five-year-old girl died on Tuesday while her two minor brothers have been hospitalized due to suspected food poisoning by food packets they consumed from a local hawker in Mawar Bala village of Handwara in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, health authorities said.
Local health authorities, while ruling out any water-borne disease, said the children suffered the food poisoning three days ago. However, the family of the minors said they consumed the food packets only a day before.
Block Medical Officer Langate, Dr Gowhar told Greater Kashmir that the three siblings Mehfooza, Zakir Ahmad, 8 and Mohammad Aamir, 3- children of Mohammad Akbar Lone of the said village fell ill three days ago after consuming some food packets from a roadside hawker after which they suffered acute dehydration.
Given their worsening condition, the family shifted the children to local NTPHC Qalamabad this morning where Mehfooza was declared brought dead, parernal uncle of the minors told Greater Kashmir.
The other two siblings have been shifted to sub-district Hospital Handwara where they are stable, he added.
The BMO Langate ruled out possibility of water borne disease for the illness. The water fed to the area is considered to be one of the purest in the district.