Patna, Apr 19 (IANS): Two labourers were taken ill after consuming soft drink in Bihar's Gopalganj district, an official said.

Sailendra Kumar Mahto and Ramesh Mahto, who were returning from Chennai on Monday, de-boarded at Sher railway station and purchased soft drink and soon after consuming it, started vomitting blood.

Confirming the incident, Dhananjay Kumar, the SHO of Sidhwalia police station, said: "As there was scorching heat, the two labourers went to a vendor on a railway station and purchased a soft drink bottle and consumed it. Soon, they started vomiting blood. The nearby people immediately informed us and we rushed to the spot. With the help of local passengers, we rushed them to Sadar hospital," Kumar said.

"We have also detained the vend's operator for quizzing. The cold drink bottle was sent to the lab for testing," Kumar said.

Dr Ramakant Singh, the medical officer at the emergency ward of the Sadar hospital said: "The victims have shown recovery from illness. There is a possibility that the soft drink may have been very old and had become unfit for drinking due to intense heat. It infected the lungs of the victims. The actual reasons would be ascertained after the lab report comes."