A 12-year-old boy died and three other children from the same family were hospitalised in India’s Chhattisgarh state in a suspected food poisoning case that authorities are investigating, officials said.

The incident took place in Dhurkot village in Janjgir-Champa district, nearly two weeks after four members of a family reportedly died in Mumbai following the consumption of watermelon. Local officials are now examining whether contaminated fruit or another meal caused the illness.

The deceased child was identified as Akhilesh Dhivar. According to family members, four brothers ate watermelon on Sunday evening before later having a chicken meal. Within hours, all four children reportedly developed symptoms including stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhoea.

Family members said Akhilesh’s condition worsened overnight. He died while being taken to hospital in an ambulance on Monday morning.

The three surviving children — Bhupendra Dhivar, Himesh Dhivar and Shri Dhivar — were admitted to the District Hospital in Janjgir, where doctors said their condition was stable.

Dr Iqbal Hussain, a doctor at the hospital, confirmed the death and said a post-mortem examination had been completed.

“The other three children are now in stable condition under medical observation. The exact cause of death will be confirmed after the post-mortem report is released,” he said.

Medical experts said watermelon itself is generally safe to consume, but contamination through pesticides, chemicals or artificial ripening agents can sometimes pose health risks.

Authorities said they are investigating whether the suspected poisoning was linked to the watermelon purchased from a local market or the meal consumed later. Officials are also tracing the sequence of events leading up to the incident.