A total of 22 schoolchildren were hospitalised yesterday (20) after allegedly consuming castor seeds that had been mistakenly shared by a fellow student at a school in the Kandalaksha area in Kantale. 

According to reports, a Grade 6 student had brought what he believed to be sunflower seeds from home and shared them with his classmates. 

Shortly after consuming the seeds, 22 students, comprising 20 boys and two girls, developed symptoms consistent with an allergic reaction or food poisoning and were admitted to hospital for treatment. 

Five of the affected students were subsequently transferred to the Trincomalee District General Hospital for further medical care. Preliminary investigations have revealed that the student regularly brings imported sunflower seeds to school to share with classmates. 

However, he had inadvertently brought castor seeds along with the sunflower seeds, mistaking them for the edible variety.