A 16-year-old dies, 30 other youngsters sick, after consuming shawarma from snacks bar at Kasaragod

The owner of Ideal Cool Bar and Food Point, Ahmed, is absconding. It was learnt that Ideal Cool Bar and Food Point did not have a food safety license
Food safety standards are always a big question | (Pic: Edexlive)
Food safety standards are always a big question | (Pic: Edexlive)

A 16-year-old schoolgirl died and about 30 others fell sick, in a suspected case of food poisoning, allegedly after having shawarma which was rotten from a snacks bar at  Cheruvathur in Kasaragod, Kerala.

A Class X student of AV Smaraka Government Higher Secondary School, Karivellur, the name of the deceased girl is Devananda.

Post her death, Ideal Cool Bar and Food Point was sealed by the Chandera police and Sandesh Rai and Anex M, two workers from the place, have been arrested. The owner, Ahmed, is absconding, shared an officer.

It was learnt that Ideal Cool Bar and Food Point did not have a food safety license.

Devananda and her life
It was just five months back that Devananda's father, Narayanan, died. She was the only child of EV Prasanna of Karivellur-Perlam grama panchayat in Kannur. This information was passed on by Perlam ward member PV Rameshan.

Then, the mother and the daughter moved to Mel-Matlayi in Cheruvathur panchayat where Prasanna's elder sister resides. It was Devananda's plan that after the Class X results are declared, she would join a school in Cheruvathur.

Drop in food quality
Poor safety measures have possibly claimed her life and have pushed the life of several other youngsters to the edge too.

As many as 31 patients who were admitted to the District Hospital said that between April 29 to 30, they had consumed chicken shawarma from Ideal, informed District medical officer AV Ramdas. Most of these are between ages 10 to 15 and a few of them are in their early 20s.

It was at around 10 am on Sunday, May 1, that about 15 students, including Devananda, from Cheruvathur and neighbouring Pilicode panchayats came to Cheruvathur Community Health Centre complaining of vomiting, loose stools and fever since Saturday. They told the duty doctors that they had chicken shawarma in the afternoon of April 29 at Ideal.

The condition of Devananda started deteriorating and around 1.30 pm, she collapsed. "She was shifted to the District Hospital in an ambulance with IV line and oxygen," said Dr Ramdas. She died soon after.

The DMO then instructed that all those patients being treated for food poisoning need to be shifted to the District Hospital. They had low blood pressure, fever, loose stools and stomach ache.

After the initial 15 students, 15 additional customers who had eaten at Ideal were admitted to the district hospital with symptoms of food poisoning.

"All of them are stable now. But we are observing them," Dr Ramdas said.

More doctors, including paediatricians, and staff were posted at Cheruvathur CHC to attend to cases of food poisoning, if the need arises, said the DMO.

All the three accused are facing charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder (Section 304 of the IPC), attempt to commit culpable homicide (Section 308 of the IPC), selling adulterated food (section 272 of the IPC), read with Section 34 of the IPC (committing a crime with a common intention).

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