55 students fall ill after mid-day meal in Bihar

At least 55 children fell ill Tuesday after having their mid-day meal at a government school in Bihar, officials said. The students are now out of danger.

The children complained of uneasiness after consuming the meal at the Sugia middle school in Sheohar district, and were examined at a hospital, District Magistrate Vinod Narain Singh told IANS over telephone.

"All the children are now safe," he said. Samples of the meal were collected by police.

"All of them, except two, were discharged after preliminary treatment at the hospital," he said.

Singh said some children informed authorities that a lizard was found in the mid-day meal served to them.

"It may be true or a rumour. I have asked a district official to inquire into it and submit the report soon," he said.

Singh said the doctors who examined the children did not find any sign of poison in their bodies.

Last month, a dead rat was found in the mid-day meal served to a student of a primary school in Patna.

In the past, dead lizards, frogs, insects and also a rat have been found in food cooked in schools in Bihar.

On July 16, 23 students died after eating poisonous meal in a primary school at Dharmasati Gandaman village in Saran district.

A forensic report confirmed the presence of toxic insecticide strains in the cooking oil used for making food at the school.

The mid-day meal scheme is running in 72,000 schools across Bihar, and 16 million students avail meals cooked under the scheme.