Maharashtra Food Poisoning: 40 hostel students fall ill after meal in Nandurbar; 25 hospitalised

Forty hostel students fell ill after a meal in Nandurbar, with five requiring ICU care. What contaminated the food, and who will be held responsible after the lab reports arrive?

Post Published By: Ayushi Bisht

Updated : 12 July 2026, 10:21 AM IST

40 hostel students fall ill after meal in Nandurbar (Img: Pexels)

Nandurbar: At least 40 students staying at a government-run hostel in Maharashtra’s Nandurbar district fell ill after consuming a meal, prompting authorities to hospitalise 25 of them for treatment.

The incident occurred at a Social Welfare Department hostel in Shahada. District Magistrate Mithali Sethi said the students were diagnosed with a combination of suspected food poisoning and gastritis. All the hospitalised students were reported to be in stable condition.

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Five Students Admitted to ICU

Of the 25 students receiving hospital treatment, 20 were admitted to the Rural Hospital in Shahada. Five others were shifted to the intensive care unit after experiencing oxygen-level and blood-pressure-related complications.

Officials said their condition had stabilised and doctors were regularly monitoring them. Most students admitted to the rural hospital were expected to be discharged after being kept under observation for 24 hours.

The district administration has also made arrangements for the accommodation and meals of the students’ parents.

Food and Vomit Samples Collected

Authorities have collected samples of the hostel food and vomit from the affected students for laboratory testing. The reports are expected to establish the precise cause of the illness and determine whether the food was contaminated.

The district magistrate said accountability would be fixed after the laboratory results and departmental inquiry were completed.

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Action Promised Against Negligence

The roles of the hostel headmaster, warden and Social Welfare Department officials will be examined during the investigation. Police personnel have also been deployed to coordinate with parents and address their concerns.

The administration plans to inspect the hostel’s functioning, identify deficiencies and strengthen its facilities using district funds. The district magistrate has said she will review the improvement measures every 15 days over the next two months. Further investigation is underway, while officials await the laboratory findings.