Chandigarh (PTI): Ten children of migrant workers have died of suspected viral fever at a village in Karnal district of Haryana and nearly 20 are admitted in various hospitals.

A team of doctors has rushed to Dera Sikligar in Halwana village of the district following delayed reports of the outbreak there, Karnal Deputy Commissioner Balbir Singh Malik said on Saturday.

He said 10 children in the under-10 age group had died of the disease in the past three months and 29 were admitted immediately hospitalised.

"Only on Friday, we came to know of the outbreak of the disease and rushed a medical team to the village. Of the 29 admitted to Civil Hospital, Karnal, two were referred to PGIMS at Rohtak and 11 were discharged on Saturday," Singh said.

District Chief Medical Officer Dr Saini said two doctors had been stationed in the village and water and blood samples collected and sent to laboratories in Delhi and Chandigarh.

She said the children were down with a possible water- borne viral fever after which they suffered rashes and diarrhoea, but the disease had yet to be identified.

"The problem was compounded as the migrant labourers never took their children to hospital and thought they were dying of natural causes," she said.

The DC added the labourers had set up temporary shelters during the paddy plantation season and did not report to any hospital to get their children examined.