New Delhi:
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has ordered formation of an inter-ministerial team to visit a village in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir to determine the causes of death in three incidents in the last six weeks.
The team will be led by a senior official from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and will comprise experts from the Ministries of Health and Family Welfare, Agriculture, Chemicals and Fertilizers, and Water Resources, an official statement said.
The team will also be assisted by experts from animal husbandry, food safety and forensic science laboratories.
The central team will continue on Sunday and, in coordination with the local administration, will also work to provide immediate assistance and take precautionary measures to prevent such incidents in the future, the statement said.
Experts from some of the country's most renowned institutions have been called in to manage the situation and understand the causes of the deaths.
At least 16 people have died of a mysterious illness in Budhal village of Rajouri district in the last 45 days.
People complained of fever, pain, nausea and loss of consciousness before dying within days of being hospitalized. A girl remains critical.
Earlier, a spokesperson for the Jammu and Kashmir government said investigations and samples empirically showed that the incidents were not due to any communicable disease of bacterial or viral origin and were not a matter of public health concern.
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