12 flyers from Bagdogra suffer food poisoning

KOLKATA: At least 12 people flying to Kolkata from Bagdogra on Sunday evening suffered severe food poisoning.
Two Malaysian nationals had to be hospitalized. Though the source of the food poisoning appears to be outside Bagdogra airport, officials at Bagdogra airport are checking to ensure that it was not the food served at the airport outlets.
According to airline sources, several passengers travelling on flight AK 0063 complained of uneasiness soon after the flight took off from Bagdogra.They complained of nausea, stomach cramps and loose motion, requiring frequent trips to the washroom.
Though the crew carries emergency medicine on board, the sheer number of people who reported sick proved a challenge. After the flight landed in Kolkata, all the ailing passengers were transported to Charnock Hospital.
“Most of the passengers eventually recovered. However, two Malaysian nationals — Leong Guat Heng and Tan Soo Kon — continued to be unwell and suffered from loss of body fluid. The two were booked on an Air Asia flight to Kuala Lumpur later in the night, but were in no condition to undertake the four-hour travel. Around 2am, they were admitted to Charnock Hospital,” an airport official said.
Hospital authorities said both patients were recovering and would be discharged soon. The airline will make arrangements for them to return to Bangkok after completing the formalities. Medical superintendent of Charnock Hospital Dr Utpal Chatterjee said, “The patients were given intravenous fluid and antibiotic. Their condition improved around 9am on Monday.”
“We are checking if other passengers who took other flights from Bagdogra on Sunday had similar complaints. If so, then the possibility of the source being at the airport is high,” an airport official said.