Initial suspicions of food poisoning have been ruled out but the authorities are taking no chances as they wait for lab results in the search for a cause

“My daughter came to me, tugging at my shirt, and asked, ‘Baba, if we drink water, will we die too?’ What could I say to her?” Talib Hussain’s voice shakes as he describes the impact of 17 unexplained deaths in his village, including 13 children, in a matter of weeks.

“I’ve lived here for more than 50 years but I’ve never seen anything like this. In the last two months, I have witnessed 17 funerals. It’s more than we could ever comprehend. People fear eating, drinking, and even going outside. Our neighbourhood is being torn apart.”