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Over 44 students of a Coimbatore Corporation middle school in Kavundampalayam were hospitalised on Tuesday, March 10, after developing symptoms of suspected food poisoning. A lizard was allegedly found in their midday meal.
According to reports, most of the affected children, studying in Class 4, began vomiting shortly after lunch and some also complained of stomach pain.
Soon after, teachers informed the parents and called the 108 ambulance service to take the children to the hospital.
The students were rushed to the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH), where 43 children were admitted for treatment. One student was taken by their parents and admitted to a private hospital.
A team of five doctors provided treatment to the students at CMCH. Of the affected students, 30 were boys and 14 were girls.
The school is located within the Tamil Nadu Housing Board unit and was renovated at a cost of Rs 7 crore by the Martin Group, owned by lottery businessman Santiago Martin.
It was inaugurated in 2024 by School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, and the midday meals were prepared by Corporation staff, the reports added.
Coimbatore District Collector Pavankumar G Giriyappanavar, Coimbatore Corporation Commissioner M Sivaguru Prabakaran, Mayor R Ranganayaki, and Kavundampalayam MLA PRG Arunkumar visited the hospital and spoke with the students and their parents.
The Corporation Commissioner told the media that a team had been formed to investigate the incident.
“A detailed inspection will be conducted in the kitchen to determine if there was any negligence,” he said. He added that a circular would be issued to all Corporation schools to ensure strict hygiene during meal preparation.
The children were kept under observation and were stable. All the students admitted to CMCH were discharged later that night.
Meanwhile, the Food Safety Department conducted an inspection of the school kitchen and premises in the afternoon and collected samples of the cooked food and raw materials for laboratory testing.
Earlier, on hearing about the incident, several parents gathered outside the school demanding answers for the alleged negligence in serving the food. They were allegedly denied entry into the school premises, leading to arguments with the school authorities and the police.