5 taken ill after consuming instant noodles, FIR lodged

Shillong, July 6

Five persons, including four minors, of a family had to be hospitalised after they consumed ready-to-eat noodles, a senior police officer said on Monday.

"An FIR was lodged by the father of the children and since it is a non-cognisable case, we are moving court for approval," East Khasi Hills district SP (City) Vivek Syiem said.

The siblings, residents of Lawsohtun in the city, complained of a severe headache and vomiting soon after consuming the noodles bought from a local market on Sunday afternoon, Syiem said.

"Three of the five were admitted to Ganesh Das Hospital and the other two taken to Shillong Civil Hospital for immediate medical attention," Deputy Commissioner of Food Safety SN Sangma said.

The Food Safety office has taken samples of the vomit and the leftover noodles for testing and has also ordered an inquiry into the incident.

The children were reported stable on Monday, but Sangma has yet to rule out food poisoning.

“We are to ascertain what kind of noodles, their date of manufacturing and whether they are safe," he said.

The incident is first of its kind after Maggi was banned in the state last month for high content of MSG and lead.

At least 36 samples of various kinds of instant noodles imported from Singapore, Nepal and Thailand have been sent for tests at the Guwahati-based Public Health Laboratory for testing, state government officials said. — PTI