A 15-year-old boy died and three other children fell ill in Chhattisgarh’s Janjjir Chamba district after eating cut watermelon that had allegedly been kept open for several hours, officials said on Tuesday.
The incident was reported from Gorkot village, where the children allegedly ate watermelon that had been sliced in the morning and then consumed it later in the evening.
Doctors suspect food poisoning and bacterial contamination as the possible cause behind the illness, although the exact cause will be confirmed after a forensic examination.
According to local residents, the children started vomiting and complained of severe discomfort shortly after eating the fruit. The family members took them to a nearby healthcare facility, where Akhilesh died during treatment. Officials said the condition of the other three children was stable.
The deceased is Akhilesh Dewar, 15 years old, a resident of Budi Dalha village. The other children who contracted the disease are Dewar (4 years old) from Awarid village, Pinto Dewar (12 years old) from Khatola village and Hitesh Dewar (13 years old) from Kotgarh village.
Dr S Kujur, civil surgeon at Janjjir Chamba District Hospital, said the viscera of the deceased child had been sent for examination.
“The watermelon was cut into slices on Monday morning and the children ate it in the evening. Vomiting began after eating it. One of the children died while the remaining three are in stable condition,” Kogor said.
He said that the children came from different villages to attend a family event at their uncle’s house.
Kujur added that three other watermelons present in the house were not cut, and one of them was also sent for forensic examination as part of the investigation.
