A tragic pesticide mix-up in Balasore shocked residents when three children from Shalabani village fell seriously ill after consuming Thimet. This dangerous mistake happened on Thursday while they were playing a mud-kitchen game and pretending to cook.
The children—Yuvraj Singh (8), Indurekha Singh (5), and Ghanashyam Singh (4)—used coconut shells to act out a cooking scene with soil and onions. During the game, one child brought Thimet from a nearby house. He thought it was salt. They mixed the chemical into their pretend meal and ate it without knowing the danger.
Within a few hours, the three began to feel sick. They suffered nausea, dizziness, and strong discomfort. Their families rushed them to Nilagiri Sub-Divisional Hospital for treatment. Doctors asked the parents to take them to Remuna Medical College in Balasore for better care.
Later in the night, one child’s condition grew worse. His family took him to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack for specialised treatment. The incident has sparked concern about unsafe chemical storage in homes and the urgent need for better awareness in rural areas.
