As many as 54 children fell sick and were hospitalised after eating their midday meal at a government school in Aurangabad district of Bihar on Tuesday, reported IANS. The children first complained of uneasiness, which was followed by vomiting and diarrhoea.

A district official told Hindustan Times that the children were admitted to a Nabinagar hospital, where half a dozen of them are said to be in critical condition. He added that a few children told him that they found a lizard in the meal served to them. The police have collected and sent meal samples from Ghirsindhi Middle School for a forensic test.

In 2014, more than 50 students of a government middle school in Bihar's Sitamarhi district fell ill after eating midday meal in which a snake was found. In 2013, 23 students died after eating a midday meal at a primary school in Saran district.