More than 90 children have died in an outbreak of suspected viral encephalitis in India’s Bihar state.

At least 200 patients, many of whom are below the age of 10, are still being treated at two hospitals.

State officials have said that many victims had died due to hypoglycaemia, or low blood sugar.

Thousands of children have died of encephalitis in Bihar and neighbouring Uttar Pradesh since the first case was detected in the late 1970s.

The Indian government has said that it will “extend all possible support” to the state and affected families.

The outbreak since the beginning of June has seen the most number of deaths in the city of Muzaffarpur.

The disease usually occurs during the monsoon season and children are the worst affected.

Until 2005, doctors say that the the majority of deaths were caused by Japanese encephalitis, a mosquito-borne virus.

But in the past decade or so, children have been dying of other forms of viral encephalitis and the exact cause of which is unclear.