Grill 9 Multicuisine Restaurant located in AN Reddy Colony of Nirmal in Telangana
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
An outing for a lunch with colleagues turned tragic: a 19-year-old girl died on Tuesday (November 5, 2024) and 11 others fell ill after eating at a restaurant in Nirmal, Telangana. The deceased, identified as Phool Kali Baiga from Majhauli in Madhya Pradesh, was part of the kitchen staff at St. Thomas High School in Boath, Adilabad district.
Phool Kali Baiga accompanied four teachers from the school on a shopping trip to Nirmal. The group dined at Grill Nine Multi-Cuisine Restaurant in AN Reddy Colony on Saturday (November 2, 2024), ordering Chicken Fried Rice, Chicken 65, and Tandoori Chicken. The group included School Principal 42-year-old Smitha George, Vice-Principal 29-year-old Deepak Kurian, and teachers 60-year-old Sofi George and 52-year-old Siji Kurian.
After returning to Boath, all the five had a bout of severe vomiting and diarrhoea that night. Seven others, who had food from the same restaurant, are being treated at a private hospital.
On the morning of November 3, the teachers sought medical help at Boath’s Community Health Centre (CHC), where Dr. Ravindra Prasad, Superintendent of CHC, diagnosed them with food poisoning. “We provided them with medication, and they also collected medicines for the 19-year-old, who did not visit the hospital herself,” Dr. Prasad said.
Despite the treatment, the symptoms persisted, and the teachers returned to the CHC on November 4 for additional medication, again taking medicine for the 19-year-old. However, by November 5, Baiga’s condition worsened, and she was brought to the hospital in critical condition, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.
Dr. Prasad suspects that the death may have been due to severe dehydration and electrolyte imbalance caused by continuous vomiting and diarrhoea. Her body is currently at the mortuary awaiting an autopsy, pending the arrival of her parents from Madhya Pradesh.
Seven people admitted in private hospital, three critical
Seven persons who had consumed food from the same restaurant are currently receiving treatment at Dr. Lalita Multi-Speciality Hospital in Nirmal. “Since the night of November 5, we have admitted patients with severe symptoms, including vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, fever, and low blood pressure. The patients range in age from nine to 52 years,” said Dr. Mahesh Babu, MD of the hospital. “Among them, three are in critical condition, with blood pressure dropping as low as 60. The remaining patients are stable. The cause appears to be a severe foodborne infection, and we are administering medication accordingly,” he added.
According to Dr. C. Sivaleela, Director of the Institute of Preventive Medicine (IPM), the district’s Food Safety Officer attempted an inspection of the restaurant but found it closed. “The officer, in collaboration with the police, will return to inspect the establishment today,” Dr. Sivaleela said.
Boath police have registered a Zero FIR, which has been transferred to One Town Police in Nirmal district for further investigation.
This is the second instance of food poisoning being reported in Telangana over the past few days with death of a 32-year-old woman suspected to be after eating momos in Hyderabad.
Published – November 06, 2024 02:38 pm IST