50 college students hospitalised after having dinner at hostel in Maharashtra's Latur

Nearly 50 female students of a government college were hospitalised for suspected food poisoning after having dinner at their hostel in Maharashtra's Latur city, officials said on Sunday.

The hostel, part of the Puranmal Lahoti Government Polytechnic, has 324 female students.

At around 7 pm on Saturday, the students had dinner, consisting of rice, chapattis, okra curry and lentil soup, the officials said.

By 8.30 pm, many of them felt nauseous and some of the students started vomiting, they said.

Upon receiving the information, the college principal reached the spot and informed Dr Uday Mohite, Dean of the Vilasrao Deshmukh Government Medical College and Hospital in Latur. The affected students were rushed to the hospital in ambulances.

Nearly 50 students were admitted to the hospital for treatment by midnight, Dr Mohite said. Twenty students were discharged by 3 am on Sunday, he said.

"Two girls experienced vomiting after dinner, and others complained of nausea, following which they were admitted to the hospital. Immediate treatment, including administering saline where required, is undergoing. All the girls are in stable condition, and the entire medical team is present and providing care," Dr Mohite said.

"Upon receiving reports of some hostel students being unwell, we reached there immediately. All the affected students were sent for treatment. A thorough health check-up is being conducted to ensure no further risk to any student. There is no cause for concern," said Principal VD Nitnaware. The Shivajinagar police were informed about the incident, he said.

The police arrived at the scene and the authorities concerned collected the food samples. The cause of food poisoning will be determined after the report of samples is received, he said.

After receiving information about the incident, Latur MP Shivaji Kalge visited the hospital to enquire about the students' health.

The Congress MP also contacted Latur Collector Varsha Thakur Ghuge and urged her to take action against those responsible for the incident.