TIRUNELVELI/TENKASI: The death toll in the Sundarapandiapuram old age home food poisoning case increased to six after a 74-year-old man died in the Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital (TvMCH) on Monday. The deceased was identified as Selvaraj, a native of Mooppanpatti near Kovilpatti. Five other inmates had died earlier in different hospitals. Around ten people are receiving treatment in TvMCH.
The victims were inmates of a home for the elderly and people with mental health issues run by Rajendran of Annai Nalavazhvu Trust in Sundarapandiapuram. The inmates suffered from diarrhoea and vomiting on June 8 allegedly after consuming mutton, some vegetarian food and water.
More than 40 inmates who were treated for food poisoning have been discharged. The district administration sealed the home and shifted all the inmates to another facility in Vadakarai.
When contacted by TNIE, Tenkasi Collector A K Kamal Kishore said the exact cause of death could be ascertained only after receiving the viscera examination results. “We have detected E. coli bacteria in the borewell water at the home and in the water of a pond where the inmates’ clothes were washed,” he added.