One person has died and 340 people have been hospitalised since Saturday (December 5), after mysteriously falling ill in the south Indian city of Eluru.

Footage from December 6 shows distressed patients in hospital beds. The deceased has been identified as a man named Sridhar.

Doctors and the government are still grappling for answers about the illness, which has now left 14 people in critical condition. Patients have reported symptoms of forgetfulness, anxiety, vomiting, headache, and back pain.

To handle the crisis, 56 doctors, three microbiologists, 136 nurses, and other medical staff have been deployed to the district. 62 medical camps have been set up, with a total of 445 beds to be arranged in four hospitals, including the Government Hospital in Eluru.

It’s been nearly three days since 340 people in Andhra Pradesh’s Eluru district fell sick due to a mysterious illness and the government is still grappling for answers. Even as doctors are trying to understand what must have caused the illness, one person succumbed to the illness on Monday, while 157 people continue to be hospitalized in Eluru district, of which 14 people are critical. The deceased has been identified as Sridhar.

All patients were identified with symptoms of epilepsy, forgetfulness, anxiety, vomiting, headache, and back pain. The doctors also noted that the epileptic episode was only once. As the reason behind the mysterious illness continues to elude, 57,863 families in the district have been surveyed, in which 191 of them were detected with illness and were rushed to the government hospital. Another aspect that worries the authorities is that people from the neighboring areas of Eluru are also starting to show symptoms.

To handle the crisis, 56 doctors, including specialists, 3 Microbiologists, 136 Nurses, and other staff have been deputed to the district. Twenty ambulances were deployed and 62 medical camps have been set up. A total of 445 beds have been arranged in four hospitals, including in Government Hospital, Eluru. In Eluru GH, 50 additional beds were arranged along with 12 doctors, 4 ambulances, 36 nursing staff were monitoring the situation.