NELLORE: One person died and 16 others fainted due to diarrhoea and vomiting at Veerubhotla Palli in Kaluvoya mandal of Nellore district on Saturday afternoon. Condition of two of them was reported to be critical. The deceased was identified as Govind Munda (47) from North 24 Parganas district in West Bengal.
The 16 other farmhands hospitalised were also from West Bengal and came to Nellore for paddy transplantation. They temporarily migrate to Nellore for farm work every year. DM&HO Dr S Rajyalakshmi suspected food poisoning as the reason for the illness.
“The migrant workers consumed the food they prepared three days back at their home in West Bengal even after reaching Nellore. They also had egg biryani while travelling in the train,” she said while expressing her suspicion of food poisoning being a reason for their condition. Further, she said they consumed water from a borewell, left unused by the locals for a longtime.
Samples of food, water, blood, urine and stools were sent for lab to diagnose the reason for illness. The DM&HO, who visited the farmhand camp at Veerubhotla Palli, said 34 migrant workers came to the village on December 8, while 19 others came on December 6. Those who came on December 8 were accommodated in two rooms.