As many as 120 crew members of a Bollywood movie unit were admitted to the SNM hospital at Leh because of food poisoning. Their condition is now stable, officials said on Monday.
The crew members, who were shooting the movie at Patthar Sahib in Leh on Sunday suddenly started showing signs of suspected food poisoning and were rushed to the hospital in the evening.
They developed abdominal pain, vomiting and headache, doctors said. It appears to be a case of mass food poisoning, they said.
An official said that about 600 people had meals at the location before the incident happened.
“Food samples have been collected for detailed analysis to identify the cause,” the official added. The hospital authorities said the situation was brought under control after an urgent mobilisation of staff from different departments of the hospital.
“We managed the patient rush effectively. The police also stepped in to regulate the overcrowded emergency ward and prevent panic,” a senior doctor said.
Police said that the laboratory reports of the food samples are awaited and thereafter accountability for serving food will be fixed.
The incident might come as a setback for the cold desert region as several shooting locations in Leh have become favourites of film makers. The Pangong Lake has been screened in many Bollywood movies in the recent past.
There were reports that film star Ranveer Singh is currently shooting for his upcoming movie in the Leh district of Ladakh.
Further details of the food poisoning incident are awaited. – The Statesman/Asia News Network
