Lucknow, Aug 10 (IANS) Two children have died and nearly 100 have fallen ill as an as-yet-unidentified decease has gripped a village in Kanpur rural district of Uttar Pradesh, officials said Sunday. The “mysterious” disease came to light when district magistrate Rama Shanker Sahu Saturday visited a village in the Gajner block of the rural suburbs of the district, about 100 km from here.

“Two children died of some disease and nearly 100 people are ill. Besides suspending the lekhpal, two other health workers have been suspended,” Sahu told reporters.

A lekhpal keeps revenue records of a village and is the administration’s representative.

Lekhpal Arvind was suspended as he did not inform authorities about the deaths and the disease, he added.

Besides water-logging, a majority of the hand pumps in the village were found dysfunctional.

A medical team accompanying the officials also suspected water-logging to be the reason behind the disease.

“It may be a viral fever, but chances of Japanese encephalitis cannot be ruled out,” a member of a team led by the chief medical officer of the district said, decling to be named.

Administrative and medical teams were camping in the village while a team of experts was also rushed there.