'Baby snake' found in Bihar school mid-day meal, over 150 children fall ill

More than 150 children fell ill after consuming food that was part of the mid-day meal in a school in the Saharsa district of Bihar, a senior official said on Thursday.

The incident occurred at a middle school in Baluaha village of the district, PTI reported, adding that family members of some children claimed a snake was found in the container where cooked pulses were stored at the school.

Meanwhile, an NDTV report said that a baby snake was found in the mid-day meal served to the children. It claimed, “Like any other day, the mid-day meal, supplied by an NGO, was served to the schoolchildren on Thursday.”

"As the food was served and the children started eating, a baby snake was found while food was being served to one of the students. Soon, almost all the children, one after another, began complaining of stomach pain," it added.

Of the 545 students present in the school, 200 had already eaten their meals by the time the snake was spotted, and later complained of stomach ache and vomiting, PTI quoted officials as saying.

Following the incident, the school administration alerted the police and the hospital. Police arrived shortly and took some of the children to the local health centre in their own vehicles.

Subsequently, ambulances dispatched by the hospital arrived to transport the remaining children, where many of them remained in a critical condition for a considerable period, NDTV reported.

According to the PTI, the official said that 115 children were undergoing treatment at the Sadar Hospital, while around 50 students were admitted to the Mahishi Public Health Centre.

"We received information that several children fell ill after consuming the mid-day meal in Baluaha. The children were initially treated at the primary health centre, but later, many were referred to the Sadar Hospital," Saharsa District Magistrate Deepesh Kumar was quoted as saying.

"According to doctors, the health condition of the children has improved, but they will be kept under observation for some time. There is no need to panic. Some kids are having a mild fever. They are being treated accordingly," Kumar said.

Meanwhile, family members of some children claimed that a snake was found in the container in which cooked pulses were stored at the school.

Of the 545 students present in the school, 200 had already eaten their meals by the time the snake was spotted, and later complained of stomach ache and vomiting, they said.

Regarding the claims, the DM said food samples have been collected from the school.

"We will be able to comment on this only after the results of the tested samples arrive," he said.