Rajouri, May 16 — A 60-year-old man died while seven others, most of them children, were hospitalised after allegedly consuming a wild vegetable in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district, officials said on Saturday.
The incident took place in Mohra village of the Kotranka subdivision, where members of two families reportedly consumed the vegetable on Friday evening and later developed symptoms of food poisoning.
Officials said the affected persons were initially taken to the Community Health Centre in Kandi and later referred to Government Medical College Hospital Rajouri for specialised treatment.
An elderly man, identified as Mohammad Hussain, died during treatment, while seven other members of the two families continue to undergo treatment at the hospital, officials said.
“Prima facie, it is a case of food poisoning, but the matter is still under investigation,” a doctor said.
Authorities said an investigation has been launched to ascertain the exact cause of the poisoning and determine whether the wild vegetable consumed by the families was toxic.