School Lunch Deaths

(Patna, India) Deaths are blamed on government free lunch program.

At least 21 children have died and dozens more have fallen sick after consuming free meals at a primary school in eastern India.

Bihar state official Abhijit Sinha confirmed 27 children and the school cook were in hospital in Patna, the state capital, 10 of them in a serious condition.

Children aged between eight and 11 were taken ill yesterday shortly after eating meals in the school in Masrakh, a village 50 miles north of Patna. They were being treated at Patna Medical College and Hospital.

Initial testing indicated that the government lunches were tainted with insecticide.

As a good rule of thumb going forward, alarm bells should ring if one hears, "Here, eat this. It's free. We're from the government."