Three have died and nine others were in hospitals this morning after eating millet dumplings that may have contained toxic pesticides.
Yesterday evening, a woman surnamed Tseng (曾) in Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) was taken to the hospital after developing convulsions, but was unable to be resuscitated.
About 30 friends and family came over that evening to observe her wake, where they ate the same millet dumplings with snails, bamboo shoots and taro that Tseng had made and consumed earlier.
Photo copied by Huang Ming-tang, Taipei Times
A total of 12 attendees began seeking medical attention starting at about 3am for vomiting and convulsions.
Six of them lost consciousness on the way to the hospital.
By 7am, two more had died and nine were still in hospitals receiving treatment.
Since many people were exhibiting the same symptoms, family members suspected it might have been food poisoning and sent the remaining millet dumplings and other food to a hospital for testing.
Tseng came in at about 9pm yesterday exhibiting a strange smell, Taitung Mackay Memorial Hospital emergency room director Liu En-jui (劉恩睿) told reporters.
Liu said he asked the family if it might have been food poisoning, but they said it was not likely and suspected it was an illness related to her advanced age.
Six more people came to the Mackay hospital throughout the night, two of whom exhibited the same smell, causing doctors to suspect food poisoning, Liu said.
It appeared to be a neurotoxin, potentially an organophosphate used in pesticides or another type found naturally in plants, he said, adding that the patients had constricted pupils and were trembling, with body stiffness and secretions from the mouth and nose.
Taitung County police this morning visited the village and questioned the man who collected the snails to ascertain their source.
County health officials have also visited Tseng’s family and the hospitals to gather samples and the remaining dumplings.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS