Four tribals die after eating mango kernel in Orissa

Koratpur (Orissa), Sep 4 (ANI): Four tribesmen died in Koraput district of Orissa after they were forced to eat a soup made of mango kernel recently.

Preliminary medical reports said the soup was bacteria-infected and the tribals, who belong to Narayanpatna block, died of food poisoning.

"My wife and two of my grand daughters died. They consumed mango kernel and wild leaves, as we didn't have anything else to eat. Most of the times we consume this because we do not have rice at our homes," said Balsi Suika, relative of the dead.

However, Surya Narayan Patra, the state revenue minister said that the tribals were provided with rice, but they often keep it for a number of days, leading to food poisoning.

"The habit of tribals is to keep cooked rice for four to five days which actually gets spoilt. In recent cases the reports from doctors confirm that they kept the food for a longer period of time. We have directed the extension officer and the collector to propagate them about it in those areas," said Patra. (ANI)