Indian children die eating 'blessed' food

Eleven children died and 60 others came ill after eating food served at an Indian temple celebration, officials said today.

The children were among hundreds of people who attended the Guru Poornima festival at the Birangabad temple in eastern Bihar state on Friday.

The celebration included free food believed to be blessed by the gods.

Dozens of children complained of nausea and diarrhoea over the weekend, and seven died over Saturday and Sunday, local official HR Srinivas said.

Four more children died today, he said.

Government doctors rushed to the area and an inquiry has been ordered, Srinivas said.

The temple is nine miles north of Patna, the capital of Bihar.

Bihar is one of India’s poorest states. For many poor families, free food given after religious ceremonies at Hindu temples is a welcome addition to their diets.