12 fall ill after having food made from buckwheat flour, 6 critical

Rudrapur: Nearly a dozen members of two families from Rampura and Subhash Colony in Rudrapur were hospitalised after consuming contaminated buckwheat (kuttu) flour during the ongoing Navratri festival. Samples of the suspected flour were preserved on Friday for testing, officials said.The families, observing a fast on the first day of Navratri, bought flour from a grocery store on Thursday evening and prepared rotis. Hours after dinner, several members of both families experienced vomiting, dizziness, loss of consciousness and a sudden drop in body temperature. Their relatives rushed them to the district hospital.Others received primary treatment and were discharged from hospital. Additional director of health, Dr MK Tiwari, said, "The condition of six patients is serious, and they are under close medical supervision. The sample of the flour has been secured and senior officials have been informed. Strict action will follow based on the investigation."Sompal, 40, Deepti, 10, and Kiran, 12, from Rampura, and Shivam, 15, Saurabh, 27, and Ramvati, 35, from Subhash Colony, remain critical. Meanwhile, Saurabh Rathore, 27, Kamlesh, 58, and Sharda, 34, of Rampura, and Varsha Rastogi, 16, Sonam, 20, and Rekha Rastogi, 37, of Subhash Colony are undergoing treatment.