Bhopal, July 2 : At least four children have died while several others have been hospitalised due to suspected food poisoning at a shelter home in Indore on Tuesday.

The first case was reported on Tuesday morning when a child was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died during treatment. Following this, some more children fell ill who had to be rushed to the Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitshalaya in Indore.

By the time the police and the district administration swung into action, three more children lost their lives, all orphans aged between 5 and 15 years.

The children were all inmates of the Bal Ashram of Shri Yugpurush Dham in the Malharganj police station area.

Taking serious note of the matter, District Collector Ashish Singh has transferred three officials, including a sub-divisional magistrate (SDM).

A committee has been formed to probe the matter under the supervision of a senior IAS officer, which will submit its report soon.

"The exact reason behind the deaths is not known yet. Things will be clear once the post-mortem reports are received," a senior official told IANS.

/IANS