500 cadets hospitalised due to food poisoning in Swabi

Nearly 500 students of Karnal Sher Khan Cadet College in Swabi were struck down by food poisoning after consuming tainted biryani on Sunday night. Around 180 of them fell seriously ill.

Hundreds of students were rushed to hospitals in Swabi and Mardan, while teams of doctors along with ambulances ferried them from Peshawar and Nowshehra.

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Health Minister Shahram Khan has confirmed that around 180 students, residing in the hostel of Karnal Sher Khan Cadet College, fell seriously ill. Dr Haris Habib, district emergency officers Rescue 1122 in Mardan, told The Express Tribune that their teams had treated around 200 students on the spot in the college dispensary while another 70 had been shifted to Mardan Medical Complex (MMC).

“Around 500 students have been struck down by food poisoning after eating biryani for dinner. Some of them were shifted to Combined Medical Hospital (CMH) Mardan before our arrival but we are unsure about their numbers,” he added, saying that these children had low blood pressure, vomiting and diarrhoea – typical of food poisoning.

“The situation is under control and all the children are being provided treatment at the moment,” he said.