Ghaziabad, Nov 19 (IANS) About 70 school children were hospitalised here Wednesday following food poisoning.

Doctors and officials suspect either the daily mid-day meal they were served in the school or jatropha fruits could have caused the illness.

The children belonged to Nistoli locality of Loni in Ghaziabad.

At about 5.00 p.m., 27 students of the Nistauli Government Primary School were rushed to the district hospital, Chief Medical Superintendent Y.C. Gupta said.

The rest were admitted to the Government Combined Hospital at Sanjay Nagar.

Doctors treating the children said it could be because of the mid-day meal given to them in school, adding that investigations would be conducted.

City Magistrate Umesh Mishra said it could be jatropha fruits might have caused food poisoning. A resident of the area said the locality had five-six jatropha trees and that the students had climbed the trees and picked the ruits.

'We would institute an inquiry into the case whether the children fell ill due to the fruit or due to mid-day meal,' Mishra said.