Bhubaneswar: At least 50 residents of a village in Odisha's Kendrapara district were hospitalised after consuming the food served at a community feast on Wednesday night, police said on Thursday.
A dead snake was found during the washing of utensils at Deuli village under the jurisdiction of Pattamundai police station. According to the locals, it was a one feet long snake, but a non-poisonous one.
The feast was organised by a women self-help group at a village temple, police said.
The incident happened during a community feast at Maa Shankatatarini temple in Chandan Nagar Deuli village under Pattamundai block of Kendrapara district where 30 families were having their meal. Many of the people were hospitalised after they started to vomit, said the official.
"About 50 people, mostly women, and children were hospitalised after they complained of nausea and uneasiness. However, all of them responded to the treatment and are out of danger," said Pattamundai Sub Divisional Hospital Medical Officer Chandra Sekhar Das.
“We were shocked when we found the dead snake. It seems the snake was not cooked, but fell afterwards. But it was too late as most of us had consumed the food,” said a villager.
