35 girls fall ill after consuming iron pills

Thirty-five girls at an Uttar Pradesh college fell ill on Monday after they were administered iron pills following lunch, officials said.

The incident took place at the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya in Shahjahanpur, about 200km from here. The girls, after being administered iron pills, aimed at improving blood content in the body, complained of giddiness and sickness.

They were immediately rushed to the community health centre. When their condition deteriorated, they were referred to the district hospital, where more than two dozen of them are still serious.

Senior officials have rushed to the hospital.

Doctors are investigating to find if the sickness was due to "routine reaction" of the iron pills or whether the medicines had expired or were of poor quality, an official told IANS.