Jammu, May 19 -- Accidental consumption of a wild plant that resembles edible fiddlehead fern varieties may have caused the death of an elderly man and the illness of seven others of the same family in Modha Draj village of Kotranka tehsil in Rajouri district on May 16, experts from Rajouri Government Medical College (GMC) said on Monday. According to the preliminary information gathered during the initial field assessment, the incident involved a localised cluster of family members who reportedly consumed a common meal during lunch on May 15. Several individuals developed acute gastrointestinal symptoms including nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhoea, which were subsequently followed by neurological manifestations suggestive of possible exposure to a harmful wild plant substance, said GMC principal Dr AS Bhatia. The clinical presentation and epidemiological pattern raised suspicion of accidental ingestion of a toxic botanical agent. Local residents and preliminary field inputs have attributed the incident to the suspected consumption of a fern plant identified locally as Dryopteris filix-mas, said Dr Bhatia. "One of the major concerns in such incidents is that edible fiddlehead fern species closely resemble certain potentially toxic fern species, making misidentification during collection and consumption a significant possibility," he added. A total of eight patients were referred from the Kandi community health centre to the GMC on May 16. However, one of them, aged about 59 years, died. "An epidemiological investigation has been initiated by the department of community medicine, GMC, to ascertain the exact source, nature and mode of exposure," said Dr Bhatia. Dr Bhatia along with the head of department, community medicine, Dr Syed Shuja Qadri, visited the affected village to assess the situation. The viscera and other forensic samples have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory, Jammu, as well as Chandigarh to determine the precise cause of death and confirm the presence of any toxic compounds or poisonous plant derivatives....