Rourkela: Diarrhoea claimed two more lives in Odisha's Rourkela city as the toll surged to nine.

The deceased were identified as Sarojini Khandayat (49) of Naya Bazaar here and Vijay Kishan of Kishan Tola here.

Sarojini was admitted to the Ispat General Hospital here last night as her condition deteriorated. However, she breathed her last during treatment at the hospital.

Similarly, Vijay died during treatment at the Jaiprakash Hospital at Ved Vyas here.

Earlier, seven persons had died in Rourkela due to the diarrhoea outbreak.

In the wake of the situation, the Odisha Government has sent a team of experts to Rourkela to take stock of the situation and coordinate with doctors and health officials deployed for treatment at hospitals. The two-member team will ascertain the reason behind the diarrhoea outbreak.

The Health Department has also directed the Sundargarh Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) to send a rapid response team to Rourkela.