100 student ill will stomachaches, one dies

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A student of Ummul Quro Islamic Boarding School in Bogor died on Sunday after suffering from severe diarrhea symptoms, while dozens of other students were taken to nearby hospitals.

Police said that they were still investigating had caused the students to become sick.

Bogor Police chief Sr. Comr. Tjiptono said on Sunday a student identified as Aris Tadjudin died after suffering severe stomach aches and diarrhea on Saturday.

"I am still waiting for a complete report from my officers in the boarding school to be able to determine whether they got diarrhea and fell sick because of food poisoning," he told The Jakarta Post.

Tjiptono said hospital results, an investigation into what students had eaten and tests for the presence of dysentery- causing bacteria in the area would reveal why so many students had got sick.

Officers were now discussing the case with doctors, he said.

More than 100 students at the boarding school fell sick on Saturday night. The school has given no explanation about what it believed caused the disease.

An employee at the school who did not want to be named, blamed the diarrhea on a mystery sickness that had plagued the entire neighborhood.

"They are not sick from food poisoning. Aris died during treatment at the hospital, not here. Not only the students but nearby residents also have diarrhea," he said.

Th staff said 20 students were treated in several nearby hospitals, while the remainder stayed at the boarding school.

He said that two doctors and three nurses had come to the school to take care of the students.

"Officials from the Bogor Health Agency have also come here to check what has happened. We hope that they will know soon the cause of the illness, and all of the students will be cured," the employee said.