Keonjhar food poisoning toll mounts to five

Five persons have died since Sunday last after consuming allegedly contaminated food in Odisha's Keonjhar, doctors said today.
While the toll stood at three till yesterday, two persons died today while undergoing treatment at the SCB Medical College and Hospital here, they said.
Hospital emergency officer Dr B N Moharana said one Sukanti Mahanta (16) died in the morning while her sister Sumitra (18) died in the evening. Both were from Dalimbapur village of Keonjhar Sadar.
At least eight persons, including five farm labourers had eaten food at a villager's house on Sunday evening and all of them were taken ill. While one had died in Keonjhar on Monday, two others had died in the Cuttack hospital here yesterday, doctors said.

Doctors said they were still investigating the cause of the deaths not ruling out contamination of food due to poisonous substance.