"So far 49 patients have died of Japanese encephalitis in the last 12 days in the hospital. Another 41 patients have been admitted in the hospital and the condition of eight of them has been critical," Dr Amarendranath Sarkar, Superintendent of North Bengal Medical College and Hospital said.
"Most of the patients are coming from Siliguri and nearby districts of north Bengal. They were admitted with symptoms of encephalitis," he said.
There has been an outbreak of encephalitis in nearby Jalpaiguri district.
"These cases of encephalitis have been reported from various parts of the district. Most of the people suffering are from the interior areas of Nagrakata, Chamurchi, Banarhat, Moinaguri and Paharpur," Jagannath Sarkar, Chief Medical Officer of Health, Jalpaiguri said.