Bhubaneswar: Four people, including a child, fell critically ill on Monday after eating pakodas (a snack) mistakenly made with poisonous urea fertilizer. The incident has been reported from S Burudi village under Kashinagar block in Odisha’s Gajapati district.
According to reports, while making pakodas, the eldest daughter of the family mistakenly used urea fertilizer thinking it to be baking soda. Both, baking soda and urea are available as white powder. The girl and three other members of the family consumed the snack and fell ill. They were rushed to the Kashinagar Community Health Center (CHC) and shifted to Parlakhemundi District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) as their condition deteriorated.
However, their condition was said to be stable on Tuesday.
The family is engaged in agricultural activities and after using urea in their field, the girl’s father kept the remaining fertilizer in a bucket. On Monday evening, the eldest daughter of the family prepared pakodas by mixing urea powder with other ingredients.