Shivamogga
Two persons died and around 12 have taken ill after having lunch at Basavanahalli in Arkalgud taluk of Hassan district on Thursday night.
Ravi Kumar, 46, and Puttamma, 50, of the village complained of uneasiness after lunch. They were taken to a hospital in Keralapura where they were treated as out-patients. However later in the night, they developed complications and died.
A few others in the village also developed health complications. Among them, eight are being treated in hospitals, including HIMS in Hassan.
Dr. Shivashankar, District Surveillance Officer, told The Hindu that the reason for the illness and death was yet to be ascertained. The technical team collected water samples from the locality and stool samples from the affected people. “A laboratory analysis of the samples will reveal the cause of the deaths,” he said.
The cases have been reported from two streets in the village. Residents of both the streets get drinking water supplied from a private borewell. There was no programme in the village. All the people had food at their respective homes.
Meanwhile, Hassan Deputy Commissioner C. Sathyabhama, visited the village and interacted with the affected families.
She said that the villagers were getting drinking water from a private borewell.
“We have tested the water sample, and it is as per our parameters. The reason for the death is not clear. We are waiting for the post-mortem report,” she said, adding that those under treatment are out of danger.