THATTA, Nov 22: With the death of two more persons in Shah Bunder taluka on Thursday, death toll of gastroenteritis patients has reached at 25 in the coastal areas of Thatta district.

Hussain Mumbrani, resident of Bai Khan Mumbrani village, and the daughter of Hanif Maindhro, resident of Allah Jurio Maindhro village, were the latest victims of the disease.

Earlier, 18 others had died of gastroenteritis since its breakout two weeks back.

Around 40 patients from the villages of Gharwa, Allah Jurio Maindhro, Mohammad Wangai, Siddiq Chandio and Gulshan Sangrani have been admitted to the rural health centre (RHC), Chuhar Jamali.

Sixty other patients are being treated at the private hospitals of Chuhar Jamali, Jati and Ladion.

Since the outbreak of gastroenteritis, about 200 patients had reported at the government and private dispensaries of the area, sources in the medical profession said.

Due to shortage of beds, several patients can be seen laying on the cold floor of the RHC, Chuhar Jamali.

The relatives of the patients complained that the lack of medicine at the local hospitals and medical stores compelled them to travel to Sujawal.

They alleged that Thatta district government and the health department had remained unmoved on the issue.

When contacted, the EDO, health, Thatta, Dr Ghulam Hyder Arain, said that the mobile health teams had been constituted to overcome the situation.

He said that 100 gastroenteritis patients had so far been admitted to the medical camp at Chuch Jehan and over three dozen patients were being treated at several hospitals of Chuhar Jamali.

The reason behind the rapid spread of the disease is believed to be non-availability of potable water and the use of underground water by the villagers for drinking purpose.

The non-release of the River Indus water downstream Kotri for a couple of years has resulted in the rise of hyper- salinity in the area, which has highly contaminated the underground water.