India, Aug. 15 -- Amid the criticism of the Maharashtra Government over the death of three tribal girls due to snakebite at a residential school hostel in Gadchiroli, officials said on Friday that 584 ashram school students have died in the last two years in the state.

A senior official from the Tribal Development department said the causes of death range from snakebite, sickle cell, serious illness, accident and suicide.

Maharashtra has 500 Government-run and 513 aided ashram schools, which are residential facilities for tribal children, the official said.

"In the past two years, 384 deaths were reported in Government ashram schools and 200 in aided schools," a senior official from the department said. The official said that 170 ashra...