According to the District Police Office (DPO), Dhading, the deceased have been identified as Santa Bahadur Tamang, 60; his daughter-in-law Fulmaya, 25; and grandchildren Sabita, 7; Ramesh, 5; Arjun, 5; and Sanu Kanchhi, 2. The two-year-old breathed her last on the way to the hospital, while others died in the course of treatment.Santa had washed the wheat grain laced with pesticide before taking it to a grinding mill. He had also left two manas of flour as payment to the mill owner Tilak Bahadur Dong.
“I had met him while he was heading for the mill. He said he had run out of food stock,” said one of the locals.
As many as 16 people, including four members of the mill owner’s family, and their neighbors, have fallen ill after consuming the bread made from pesticide-laced wheat flour.
Purna Bahadur Tamang, 8; Tek Bahadur Tamang, 35; Buddha Singh Tamang, 9; Samjhana Tamang, 31; Phul Maya Tamang, 60; and Thuli Maya Tamang, 15, among others, have taken ill after consuming the pesticide-laced bread, according to Chief District Officer Basu Dev Ghimire. They are currently receiving treatment at Manamohan Memorial, Star Hospital and Bir Hospital in Kathmandu.
“Although the Tamang family ate the bread together, the children fell ill faster than the adults,” said Kishor Adhikari, principal of Jun Tara High School of the district. According to him, he had met Santa and Fulmaya along with a few other locals while they were rushing to the local health post, which is an hour’s walk from the village.
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