Three kids critical after mistakenly eating pesticide instead of salt

Three children from Salabani village in Mahishapata panchayat of Nilagiri block were hospitalised Thursday after accidentally consuming ‘Thimet’, a toxic pesticide, mistaking it for common salt. According to local sources, family members of the children were away harvesting paddy when the three, aged eight, five and four years, were playing together.

While pretending to cook food with mud in small pots, one child reportedly brought the pesticide ‘Thimet’ from his home, believing it to be salt, mixed it with onions and shared it with the others. The affected children have been identified as Yuvaraj, 8, son of Babula Singh; Indurekha, 5, daughter of Akshaya Singh; and Ghanashyam, 4, son of Ramesh Singh. When family members returned home later in the afternoon, they found the children seriou