3 dead, 9 hospitalized after suspected food poisoning in Taitung

Taipei, Sept. 18 (CNA) Three people died and nine are in hospital on Wednesday after consuming snails suspected of being contaminated with pesticides in Taitung County.

The victims from Binmao Village had all eaten millet dumplings containing snails, pork and bamboo shoots that doctors believe may have caused the neurotoxin poisoning. The Taitung County Public Health Bureau is testing leftover dumplings from the scene.

The suspected poisoning incident began when an 83-year-old woman identified by her surname Tseng (曾) made a batch of millet dumplings on Tuesday.

After eating the dumplings, Tseng felt unwell and was taken to Mackay Memorial Hospital at around 9 p.m. on Tuesday.

Emergency room director Liu En-jui (劉恩睿) noted Tseng arrived with a "strange odor" that initially led doctors to suspect she had suffered from food poisoning, but her family insisted she had died due to an illness.

Despite this disagreement, Tseng's body was returned home later the same day, and about 30 relatives and friends gathered at her home to mourn her death, in which the millet dumplings and other items from Tseng's kitchen were served.

However, around 3 a.m. on Wednesday morning, some of those who had gathered at Tseng's home began exhibiting symptoms such as vomiting and convulsions.

Nine individuals, including six who had fallen unconscious, were admitted to Mackay Memorial Hospital and two another hospitals in Taitung County for emergency treatment.

Two of the patients died on Wednesday morning, bringing the total number of fatalities in the suspected poisoning incident to three.

Doctors said on Wednesday morning that some of the patients were in the intensive care unit while others are under observation after their conditions had stabilized.

Several government agencies have launched separate investigations into the incident.

The Taitung County Police Bureau and the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) said they are collecting evidence, including leftover millet dumplings, for further analysis. The TFDA expects results within two days to one week.

Taitung prosecutors said they have also visited Binmao Village, a sub-division of Jinfeng Township that is mostly populated by the Taiwan's indigenous Paiwan people, to gather evidence.

Local media reported that the snails, which are not commonly eaten in Taiwan but are sometimes consumed by certain indigenous peoples, may have been taken from farmland where pesticides had been sprayed.

Police and health officials have also collected samples from the site for testing.