Published Mar 12, 2026 | 7:50 AM ⚊ Updated Mar 12, 2026 | 7:50 AM
Children having food at school. Representative image.
Synopsis: More than 43 students were taken to the hospital as they fell ill after a lizard was reportedly found in the midday meal served at a corporation school in Coimbatore. The incident triggered concern among parents and prompted an immediate response from civic authorities.
Around 43 students were taken to the hospital as they fell ill after a lizard was reportedly found in the midday meal served at a corporation school in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, on Tuesday, 10 March.
The affected children — 30 boys and 13 girls — developed symptoms such as vomiting, stomach pain and dizziness shortly after lunch at a corporation middle school in the Kavundampalayam area.
Teachers rushed the students to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital, where doctors treated them and kept them under observation. Officials said the students’ condition was stable and they were monitored as a precaution.
The incident triggered concern among parents and prompted an immediate response from civic authorities.
M Sivaguru Prabhakaran, Commissioner of the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation, visited the school and ordered an inquiry into the incident, while food safety officials examined the kitchen and the meal served to the students.
According to officials, the students began feeling unwell soon after consuming the midday meal served at the school on Tuesday afternoon. Soon after the symptoms developed, teachers acted quickly, and the affected students were transferred to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital.
Hospital authorities later confirmed that all the students were stable and were kept under observation for several hours before being discharged.
Following the incident, Sivaguru Prabhakaran directed officials to conduct a detailed investigation into the matter. He said authorities would examine whether negligence in food preparation or hygiene lapses had led to the incident.
Food Safety Department officials also visited the school and collected samples of the cooked food and raw ingredients from the kitchen.
These samples have been sent for laboratory testing to determine the exact cause of the suspected contamination.
The incident has also created tension outside the school, as parents gathered on campus seeking information about their children. Police personnel were deployed to maintain order.
Authorities said the findings of the inquiry would determine further action, and a circular would be issued to schools stressing strict adherence to food safety and hygiene practices in the midday meal programme.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
