Bhubaneswar: At least 30 students of a primary school at Odisha’s Paradeep town fell ill after taking iron tablets today.

The incident took place at Lock Pada Primary School at the port town.

The teachers of the school provided iron pills to around 100 students during the school hours today. Soon, at least 30 students developed stomachache, dizziness and other health complications. Some of them also threw up.

The students were immediately rushed to a community health centre (CHC) at Atharabanki.

“The iron tablets provided to the students have crossed the expiry date. So, some students developed certain health complications. We have provided them the necessary treatment. They are under observation,” said Dr. Nirmalya of the CHC.

However, the teachers of the school claimed that they were not aware that the iron tablets had crossed the expiry date.

“The iron pills were supplied to us a few days ago. Today, we gave the tablets to our students. We did not have any idea that the pills had crossed the expiry date,” said Manjulata Samal, a teacher.

The incident has created resentment among the parents and guardians. “The iron pills had expired in 2021. But, the teachers provided them to students without checking the expiry date,” said Dev Biswas, a guardian.