Early reports from an inquiry into the deaths confirmed the presence of bacteria ‘generally found in sewer water’ in drinking water samples.
Early reports from an inquiry into the deaths of at least nine residents in Indore’s Bhagirathpura area confirmed the presence of bacteria “generally found in sewer water” in drinking water samples, officials familiar with the matter said on Thursday, three days after the first of victims were brought in with vomiting and diarrhoea.
Officials earlier said that the cause of bacterial infection likely lay in a sewage pipeline leeching into a drinking water line, and added on Thursday that more results are awaited before specific pathogens can be identified. The total number of dead rose from a confirmed four on Wednesday. At least 150 more residents of the locality are being treated at hospitals.
The National Human Rights Commission, meanwhile, has issued a notice to the Madhya Pradesh government over the deaths.
“The initial report has confirmed the presence of abnormal bacteria generally found in sewer water comprising human waste. However, we are yet to identify the bacteria as the culture report of bacteria is awaited. The report of stool tests of affected patients has not been received yet — that will also make it clear,” Indore-based Mahatma Gandhi Medical College’s dean Dr Arvind Ghanghoria said.