200 people, including bride and groom, fall ill after marriage feast in Kerala

In a case of food poisoning, as many as 200 people fell sick after attending a wedding ceremony in Kerala's Palakkad district on Sunday (June 16), according to a report in Mathrubhumi.

The incident occurred in Shoranur town when both sides, that of the bride and the groom, were having dinner post marriage. All the guests, including the bride and groom, had complained of fever, vomiting, and diarrhoea after the wedding, the report said.

The news publication further reported that over 40 people sought the medical attention including nine children who are receiving treatment at Kozhikode Hospital. The bride and groom, including their relatives, are also being treated at the hospital.

The report noted that the all the victims had initially attributed their illness to the rainy season, but a medical check at a private hospital confirmed that it was food poisoning.

Following the incident, the Shoranur Municipal Health Department and Ongallur Grama Panchayat Health Department conducted inspections at the catering establishment and found that it was operating under unsanitary conditions. The source of the food poisoning is suspected to be contaminated drinking water or ice, the publication reported.

Earlier, on June 20, Coliform bacteria in the water samples collected from an apartment complex in Kochi after over 490 people, including children, were hospitalised recently for food poisoning.

According to the Health Department, a total of 46 samples were collected from various sources, including overhead tanks, borewells, domestic taps and wells.