By Adib Povera

ALOR STAR, MALAYSIA: A total of 137 girls from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sultanah Bahiyah here were down with suspected food poisoning on Wednesday.

The students, all boarders, were rushed to Alor Setar Hospital after complaining of stomach pains, fever, headache, diarrhoea and vomiting.

The Form One to Form Fivestudents claimed that the symptoms appeared after they had steamed fish served with air asam and sambal udang at their dormitory's dining hall for dinner on Tuesday.

Fatihah Hakimi Ishak, 17, said the fish served had a foul smell.

"I vomitted and suffered from stomach pain when I got up in the morning. I later found out that many of my friends also suffered the same symptoms," she said at a ward in Kota Star district Health Department office here yesterday.

Fatihah was one of 33 boarders who sought outpatient treatment at the department.

Four other students were admitted to Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital here, while the remaining 100 students received outpatient treatment at the hospital.

State Health Department director Dr Marzukhi Md Isa said the school's dining hall would be closed for two weeks.

"We would also carry out tests on samples of the food eaten by the students."