From correspondents in India, 06:30 AM IST

An outbreak of viral fever has claimed 297 lives in Rampur in Uttar Pradesh, the district's chief medical officer Vinod Kumar said Wednesday.

As many as 28 people died Friday, forcing some to dub it a 'killer Friday'.

According to District Magistrate Shankar Lal Pandey, 30 villages were badly affected. Health department teams had been deployed to control the further spread of the fever.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)