Hundreds of villagers of Baptist Church of Mizoram at Cheural village in southern Mizoram are suffering from dysentery and vomiting after their New Year feast on Tuesday suspected to be cases of food poisoning.
Sources from Lawngtlai district said a medical team from Siaha district had rushed to the spot immediately and reached this remote village early morning on January 3. Medical examinations were done and about ten of them were found to be very critical.
Cheural is a small village located in Lawngtlai district, Mizoram. Altogether 204 families live in that remote village. The Cheural village has population of just over thousand. Even though the village is within Lawngtlai district area it can only be accessed by road from Siaha district. Majority of the villagers belong to Baptist Church of Mizoram.
It has become difficult to ascertain the exact condition of the people there. About hundred persons complained of severe dysentery and vomiting after having the New Year feast in the village. Conditions of many of them are stated to be critical.
“Due to lack of communication we cannot say the exact situation at Cheural village, initial reports said there were about 120 persons who reported food poisoning and ten of them are reported to be very critical, a journalist from Lawngtlai district Elvis L said.
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Report from Lawngtlai district said that medical team that has reached Cheural village have treated most of the patients and have no means to transport the critically ill patients due to transportation constraints.
“At this stage it is impossible to determine the cause due to lack of medical equipments at the village and the medical team has given the patients first aid and other needful, it was reported that the villagers ate local pork at the feast,” Elvis L said.
A church worker from Siaha district Lalthangzuala said that doctors and health workers from the adjoining block headquarters of Sangau and district headquarters of Siaha have already reached the village.
“The village is remote and at the present moment there is a misunderstanding between one local organization and maxi cab drivers, so it is practically landlocked, but the church is doing everything to aid the victims,” Lalthangzuala said.
Sources from Lunglei district said that Baptist Church of Mizoram headquarters at Serkawn will send a medical team comprising a doctor and two nurses.
It may be noted that the churches organized feasts for its church members during Christmas and New Year across Mizoram.