The Madhya Pradesh (MP) Government on Saturday banned the sale of Coldrif cough syrup following the deaths of 14 children in Chhindwara district due to suspected kidney failure, news agency PTI reported. Officials said laboratory tests revealed the syrup contained 48.6 per cent diethylene glycol, a highly toxic substance.

The syrup sample, tested by the Drug Testing Laboratory in Chennai, was declared “Not of Standard Quality” by the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Drug Control, officials said. The deaths, which began in Parasia subdivision on September 7, included 11 children from Parasia, two from Chhindwara city, and one from Chaurai tehsil. Among the victims were Shivam (9), Vidhi (6), Adnan (6), Usaid (9), Rishika (10), Hetansh (11), Vikas (9), Chanchlesh (8), and Sandhya Bhosom (7).