Around 50 school students from Thrissur in Kerala fell ill with suspected food poisoning on board the Mangala Lakshadweep Express on Friday night. The students, aged between 15 and 18, were part of an 80-member group returning home after an educational tour to Delhi. They had boarded the Hazrat Nizamuddin-Mangala Lakshadweep Express and had reportedly been consuming meals prepared in the train’s pantry car throughout their journey.

Emergency response at Khandwa
The situation escalated when several children began experiencing severe vomiting and dizziness. Alert school authorities and accompanying teachers immediately contacted railway staff and dialled the helpline for assistance. Acting on the emergency call, railway authorities coordinated a rapid medical response, arranging for a specialised health team to meet the train at Khandwa Junction in Madhya Pradesh.

Medical intervention and onward journey
The train pulled into platform 5 of Khandwa Junction at around 21:30 on Friday, where the medical team was waiting. Led by Chief Medical Health Officer Dr OP Jugtawat and Civil Surgeon Dr Anirudh Kaushal, doctors and paramedics administered first aid and stabilised the affected students. After ensuring that all the children were out of danger, the train resumed its journey after a delay of approximately 40 minutes. As a further precaution, a railway medical team accompanied the students on board the train until it reached Bhusaval station.