As many as 18 children, between grades six and eight, fell ill after consuming a contaminated midday meal in the Indian state of Chattisgarh. According to reports, a girl in the government middle school spotted the scorpion in the food and complained to the authorities.
Soon, 18 children were taken to the hospital after suffering from nausea and vomiting. The students were discharged after treatment and the person in charge of the midday meal at the school was suspended, officials said.
This is the second time a dead scorpion has poisoned school children in India's free midday meal program, the largest such government initiative in the world. In July, 39 children from the state of Odisha, fell ill after eating their school lunch which was contaminated by a dead scorpion in the potato-soya curry.