Eleven dead in India after eating temple offering

Many others remain ill after eating the tomato rice dish.

Indian women mourn the death of relatives in a case of food poisoning at Bidarahalli, near Sulawadi village in Chamarajnagar district of Karnataka state, India, Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018. Police on SatuShow more

At least 11 people in southern India died Friday of suspected food poisoning after a ceremony to celebrate the construction of a new Hindu temple, police said.

Another 32 people were hospitalised after they ate at the ceremony in Chamarajnagar district of Karnataka state, south of the state capital of Bangalore, said police officer Mahadev, who uses one name. Eight of those hospitalised were in critical condition, he said.

Samples of the food served to devotees following a temple foundation-laying ceremony were collected for chemical analysis following the incident.

They vomited, complained of severe stomach pain and were taken to nearby hospitals.

Former Indian prime minister HD Deve Gowda took to Twitter to offer his condolences to the families of those killed, and wish those still unwell a swift recovery.

"Families who have lost their lives in the disaster should have the strength and courage to endure the pain," he said.

Police detained two members of the temple's management for questioning, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

In 2013, 22 children died in a school in India' eastern state of Bihar after eating food tainted with a pesticide. It had been stored in a cooking oil container.

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