Four children with special needs died and at least 16 were taken ill allegedly after they had their dinner at a government rehabilitation centre in the Uttar Pradesh capital, officials said.

On March 23, more than 30 children at the Nirvaan Rajkiya Bal Griha complained of sudden illness, possibly after food poisoning, and were taken to hospital. They were vomiting and also experienced shortness of breath.

Lucknow district magistrate Vishak G said: “A total of four children — two girls and two boys — of the shelter aged between 5 and 15 years have died.”

Dr Rajeev Kumar Dixit, medical superintendent of Lok Bandhu Raj Narayan Combined Hospital, said around 30 children were brought to the hospital from the rehabilitation centre.

“All these children are mentally challenged. They were severely dehydrated when they arrived. Despite our best efforts, two children died,” he had earlier said. Two more critically ill children who were referred to another government hospital had also died, he said. The condition of the remaining 16 has improved, Dixit added.

The deceased have been identified as Suraj Kumar, 5, Shivank Kumar, 12, Deepa Kumari, 12, and Renu Kumari, 15.

N.B. Singh, the chief medical officer of Lucknow, said: “The doctors suspect infection. We have ordered an inquiry. We didn’t find much in the post-mortem.”

Sources said there were 147 children at Nirvaan Rajkiya Bal Griha, of whom 70 suffer from Down syndrome. While some children are orphans, a few poor parents have sent their kids to the centre for rehabilitation. The children learn art and craft to help them eke out a living.

Roshan Jacob, the divisional commissioner of Lucknow, said: “The health and safety of the children is our priority. We will probe every aspect and bring the guilty to book. A team formed under the chief medical officer is probing the case.”

The home is run by the child and women’s welfare department of the Uttar Pradesh government and is responsible for the supply of food and other items to the inmates.