In Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district, villagers of Ragadgatta have claimed that an “unknown illness’ has resulted in the death of 61 people in nearly three years. In a letter to the district collector in late July, the residents of the village requested a team of doctors be dispatched to deal with the situation and prevent more fatalities.
The authorities in the state have begun investigating the deaths, claimed to be due to a mystery illness. Initial probe of records suggested by the officials suggests that 47 deaths were due to various reasons which include natural causes and ailments. Water contamination has not been ruled out yet.
A detailed report is awaited to understand the heavy metal content like arsenic in water and soil in the village. A team of specialists is scheduled to visit the village on August 8 to conduct a detailed study of environmental causes behind the deaths in the village with 130 families and a population of over 1,000.
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(With inputs from PTI)
