Dozens of BSF personnel hospitalized in Manipur with suspected food poisoning
Dozens of Indian border guards and a few drivers went to a hospital in Manipur on Thursday, sick with what may be food poisoning, The Sangai Express and The Indian Express reported. The Sangai Express said they fell ill after breakfast. The hospital's chief said all of them were stable, Northeast Now reported.
Dozens of personnel from India's Border Security Force (BSF) were taken to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) hospital in Imphal, Manipur, on Thursday with suspected food poisoning, The Sangai Express, The Indian Express and Northeast Now reported. Counts differ: The Sangai Express reported 79 BSF personnel and five civilian drivers, The Indian Express reported at least 75 personnel and three civilian drivers, and Northeast Now reported 84 personnel.
The personnel belong to the D/58 battalion and had arrived in Manipur the day before, the outlets reported. They were staying in the Lamsang area, according to The Sangai Express and Northeast Now, in Imphal West district, The Indian Express reported. The Sangai Express reported that the site was the complex of a construction company.
They fell ill after breakfast, The Sangai Express and Northeast Now reported. Around 15 to 20 minutes after eating, they developed nausea, vomiting, stomach ache and loose motions, The Sangai Express reported, citing sources. Some of those affected said they had prepared the breakfast themselves, the paper reported. So many patients arrived that RIMS set up beds in a patient waiting area, according to The Sangai Express.
RIMS Superintendent-in-Charge Moirangthem Rameswar Singh said all patients were stable and out of danger, Northeast Now reported. Officials later said only five would stay in the hospital for more treatment, according to Northeast Now. "None of the cases is serious at present," the RIMS medical superintendent said, according to The Indian Express. Manipur Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam visited the patients, The Sangai Express and Northeast Now reported.
Food safety officials collected samples of the food for laboratory testing, The Sangai Express and The Indian Express reported. "The actual cause of the suspected food poisoning can be ascertained only after the laboratory test results are received," an official said, according to The Indian Express. Northeast Now reported that the cause had not yet been established.
What we know: Dozens of BSF personnel and several drivers were treated at RIMS in Imphal after falling ill following breakfast, and all were reported stable.
What we don't: What made them sick, as lab results on the food samples have not been reported.
Where outlets agree The Sangai Express, The Indian Express and Northeast Now all report that dozens of BSF personnel were taken to RIMS in Imphal on Thursday with suspected food poisoning.
Where they differ The outlets cited here report the same key facts so far.