At least 30 students under training at the police college were suddenly hospitalized on Wednesday in a potential food poisoning incident.

The students were admitted at Addu Equatorial Hospital for treatment, where five have been taken to the intensive care unit (ICU) owing to the severity of their conditions.

An official from the hospital spoke with ‘Sun’ confirming they had been hospitalized around 20:00hrs on Wednesday evening, and were initially treated at the ER but have since been transferred to the wards.

The official added they were brought after they showed symptoms of allergies, which they added could have been due to a food they consumed and said most of them were in stable conditions.

Maldives Police Service said they believe it was a case of food poisoning as well, and said the students have returned back to the college. The authority is looking into the matter with the hospital’s assistance.

The authority also confirmed a total of 32 students were hospitalized, out of which five are treated at ICU with one of them in critical condition.

The National College of Policing and Law Enforcement developed with an Indian government grant, was officially inaugurated on March 27, 2022.