Jhabua, Jun 22 (PTI) A 60-year-old man died, and more than 12 villagers fell ill after allegedly consuming contaminated water from a well in Madhya Pradesh's Jhabua district, officials said on Sunday.
The incident took place at Bhamal village in Thandla tehsil, around 45 km from the district headquarters, on Saturday, they said.
According to officials, villagers consumed water from a well as per their daily routine, but shortly afterwards, many of them started complaining of vomiting and diarrhoea, raising suspicions that the water source may have been contaminated.
Locals notified the Thandla police station in Petlawad tehsil.
Teams from the police and district administration reached the spot and shifted the affected persons to hospitals, they said.
One of the patients, Naharsingh Khair, died during treatment on Sunday morning, while others are in care, officials said.
"The well, which is government-owned and serves as the village's main drinking water source, has been sealed, and its use prohibited pending further investigation," said Thandla police station house officer (SHO) Ashok Singh Kanesh and Petlawad station house officer (SHO) Nirbhay Singh Bhuria.
Teams from the district health and public health engineering departments have collected water samples for testing.
Sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) of Thandla, Tarun Jain, said the water is being tested to determine the cause of contamination.
"The administration will conduct a thorough investigation. The cause of the illness will be confirmed once we receive the lab reports," he said.
Meanwhile, authorities have urged residents to exercise caution while consuming water during the ongoing monsoon season.