Srinagar: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has directed the formation of an inter-ministerial team to investigate the causes behind a series of deaths in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district over the past six weeks, PTI reported.

According to an official statement, the team will be led by a senior officer from the Union Home Ministry and include experts from the ministries of health and family welfare, agriculture, chemicals and fertilisers, and water resources.

Specialists from animal husbandry, food safety, and forensic science laboratories will also assist the team.

The central team is scheduled to visit Budhal village on Sunday.

Working in collaboration with the local administration, the team will focus on providing immediate relief and implementing precautionary measures to prevent further incidents.

“Experts from some of the most reputable institutions in the country have been arranged to manage the situation and understand the causes of the deaths,” the statement noted.

At least 16 residents of Budhal village have succumbed to a mysterious illness over the last 45 days.

Those affected reportedly experienced fever, pain, nausea, and loss of consciousness, succumbing to the illness within days of being admitted to hospitals. A young girl remains in critical condition.

A Jammu and Kashmir government spokesperson earlier stated that initial investigations and samples suggested the incidents were not linked to a communicable bacterial or viral disease.

The spokesperson emphasised there was no public health angle to the deaths.