At least 170 people fell ill after consuming food during a feast organised at a temple in Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri district, an official from the health department said on Monday.
The affected persons were from villages under the Mamoni Kala gram panchayat, where a mass feast was organised at a temple on Saturday, the official said.
District medical and health officer Sanjay Risheshwar said the preliminary investigation revealed that villagers suffered food poisoning.
However, food samples were collected, and the actual cause will be confirmed once the investigation report arrives, he said.
He said that as many as 170 people who complained of vomiting, diarrhoea and fever were examined and are undergoing treatment.
The health department is keeping an eye on the situation and has deployed a team of six doctors at Mamoni Kala, Ladaipura and Tarpan Ka Purba villages, the official said.
Vinod Mishra, husband of Mamoni Kala Gram Panchayat sarpanch, said 200 people fell ill after consuming food in the mass feast.
He claimed that more than 60 people were rushed to a hospital in critical condition, while other patients were given primary treatment in the village.
