At least 107 people were hospitalised in Madurai after reportedly consuming food served during a temple festival at Kalvimadai village in Tamil Nadu's Virudhunagar district on Sunday, officials said.
Several attendees began to develop symptoms of vomiting and diarrhoea soon after consuming the meal. While some were initially being treated at local hospitals, a significant number were referred to the Madurai Government Rajaji Medical College Hospital (GRH) due to the worsening of their symptoms.
"I had only vegetarian food. I don't know what went wrong," said a patient undergoing treatment. Another woman attendee said, "Doctors administered medicine to us also as a precaution."
Among those admitted, 55 are women and 11 are children, according to health officials.
Doctors at GRH suspect food poisoning, possibly linked to contaminated drinking water. However, medical authorities have ruled out any life-threatening danger.
"All have been moved to regular wards now. They will be fine soon in two or three days," a senior doctor said, assuring that patients are stable and under observation. "As a priority, we treated first those dehydrated or having BP issues," the doctor added.
Health authorities have launched an investigation to identify the source of contamination and prevent future outbreaks.
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