Four persons have died last week at the Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital due to an unidentified disease, doctors said.

Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) of the Anuradhapura hospital Dr. Ajith Jayasena told the Daily Mirror that investigations are underway by the hospital authorities to ascertain whether this was an infectious viral disease.

Three males and a female from Welioya, Maradankadawala and Galnewa have died on three successive days last week at the hospital and the JMO has cited the malfunctioning of several organic systems of the patients as the cause of death.

Some soldiers were admitted to the hospital last week and doctors suspect that the same virus had attacked them.

Tissue specimens extracted from lungs and hearts of the dead persons are to be examined to ascertain the nature of the disease, Dr. Jayasena said.