Sundargarh: A suspected case of food poisoning claimed four lives and left at least 17 others ill after they attended a funeral feast at Nuadihi village under Hemgiri block of Odisha’s Sundargarh district.

According to reports, villagers had gathered for a dashaha (post-funeral ritual feast) in Nuadihi when several attendees began suffering from vomiting, stomach pain and diarrhoea shortly after consuming the food.

It is being suspected that contaminated food served during the feast led to the deaths and illnesses.

Among the deceased are two persons from Sundargarh district, identified as Mangal Sai Nayak of Nuadihi village and Raibari Pradhan, a 50-year-old woman from Hemgiri. The two other deceased persons belonged to Jharsuguda district and were identified as Ullas Khadia (40) of Sunakhain village under Atabira panchayat, and Sukanti Khadia (60).

Around 17 people reportedly fell ill in the incident. Of them, 10 have been admitted to Hemgiri Community Health Centre for treatment. Four critically ill patients from Jharsuguda district are undergoing treatment at different hospitals.

Following the incident, a special medical team from the Health Department reached Nuadihi village and began monitoring the situation. Health officials are keeping a close watch on other villagers to identify any additional suspected cases.

Food samples are expected to be collected for examination, while a joint investigation by the police and Health Department is underway to ascertain the exact cause of the suspected food poisoning.