Ghaziabad, Oct 25 (IANS) More than 40 children of Babugarh area here were rushed to a hospital after they complained of suffocation and nausea, an official said Sunday.
The kids were rushed to a government hospital at Hapur Saturday evening, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Mahendra Prasad told IANS.

He said the children fell ill after they ate fruits of a Jatropha plant.

But parents of the children said it was unlikely that all the children consumed the fruits the same day Saturday. The Jatropha trees have been planted near the school premises for years.

The parents blamed the food consumed by children as mid-day meal in their school.

When asked about the mid-day meals served to the students, Prasad said: “I am not here to inquire about the mid-day meal and I will not give any instructions to collect the food samples which may have been served to them. All locals are saying that they consumed Jatropha fruits.”