TENKASI: A suspected case of food poisoning at a private home for senior citizens and persons with mental health issues in Sundarapandiapuram resulted in the deaths of three of its inmates – one died on Wednesday night and two the next morning.
Of the eight inmates admitted to the ICU at Tenkasi District Government Headquarters Hospital (GHQH), three are critical, according to the hospital management. The district administration sealed the private home on Thursday night and the Sambavarvadakarai police registered a case against the owner of the facility.
The deceased have been identified as Sankar Ganesh (48), Ambika (40) and Murugammal (40). Thirty other inmates admitted to the hospital after the incident are stable, said the management. When TNIE interacted with the victims at GHQH, they said they experienced symptoms of diarrhoea after consuming mutton on Sunday. However, a few who did not consume the meat also experienced similar symptoms, suggesting potential water contamination.
“We were first taken to a local primary health centre, but we did not receive proper care there,” said two victims admitted to the special ward set up by hospital superintendent R Jesline. According to Jesline, the first victim was brought to the GHQH on Tuesday night.
“Sankar Ganesh died on Wednesday night, while Ambika and Murugammal died on Thursday morning,” said the superintendent, adding that the autopsy procedure was over and the report would be available on Friday.
An official from the district administration said the facility housed more than 60 people from Tenkasi, Tirunelveli, Virudhunagar, and Thoothukudi districts. “Food safety department officials have collected food and water samples.
A case has been booked against the owner, Rajendran, who registered the home as Annai Nalavazhvu Trust in 2017. We are in the process of shifting the inmates to other facilities,” the official said, adding that the raw meat was donated by a donor and the food was cooked at the home.
Before the facility was sealed, collector A K Kamal Kishore, SP S Aravind, and other health officials inspected the home and conducted inquiries with the inmates.