Three die, one taken ill after eating mango kernel cake

In a case of suspected food poisoning, two women and a 15-year-old girl died today and one other member of the family fell ill reportedly after having traditional cakes prepared from mango kernel powder in Odisha's Nabarangpur district, officials said.

While the preliminary report says that the incident could be a case of suspected food poisoning, opposition BJP has accused the state government of failing to provide adequate food forcing the people to eat mango kernel.

Family members of one Arjuna Santa in Mainapadar village in the district cooked traditional rice gruel mixing mango kernel powder last week and ate the cake.

Though there was no problem at that time, the family members complained of stomach problem after they ate it again later and fell sick, the officials said.

Four of the family members - Sudhamani, Prakash, Namita and Pramila - started vomiting followed by acute diarrhoea yesterday night.

Namita, sister of Arjuna, died at around 2 am, following which they were taken to the local community health centre and later shifted to the district headquarters hospital.

However, Arjuna's wife Sudhamani died on the way to the hospital, the officials said, adding that Pramila also succumbed to the stomach problem later in the evening at SLN Medical College Hospital at Koraput.

Now, Arjuna's son Prakash is undergoing treatment at the hospital.

"Preliminary diagnosis has found it to be a case of food poisoning. The cause of death will be known after post-mortem," additional district medical officer Sivarani Mishra said.

"It is a shame for the state that people are eating mango kernel for want of food," BJP spokesman Golak Mohapatra alleged.

District Collector Ajit Mishra said "Arjuna Santa is a well-off person who owns two tractors and a car. There is no possibility of family eating mango kernel for want of food.