19 government school students hospitalised after taking excessive dose of iron tablets

19 students from a Zilla Parishad (ZP) school in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur district fell ill and had to be hospitalised after apparently consuming an excessive dose of anti-anaemia tablets without supervision, officials said on Friday (February 13, 2026).

A probe has been ordered after the incident was reported from Bhamdeli village in Bhadravati tehsil, they said.

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According to officials, students are given iron tablets every Monday. However, some students from the ZP school reportedly consumed more such tablets on Tuesday (February 10, 2026) when the teachers were not around.

A total of 19 students complained of nausea, dizziness and felt “extremely unwell” on Wednesday (February 11, 2026) night. The school administration then called for ambulances and got them admitted to the Chandrapur District Hospital, said Ashok Katare, district health officer of Zilla Parishad.

According to the doctors, 16 students are in stable condition. Three are under observation, they said.

ZP Chief Executive Officer Pulkit Singh has ordered a high-level probe into the matter, said officials.