After eating biscuits: Boy dead, six others hospitalized
CEBU, Philippines - A two-year-old boy died while his four siblings and two neighbors landed in the hospital after they reportedly ate biscuits their neighbor has brought from an officemate.
The fatality was identified as Karl Jade Talingting who died at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center around 7 p.m. last Thursday.
Talingting’s older siblings, Claralyn, 4, Chloe, 3, Clarence, 6, and neighbors Andres Sabidor, 60, and Jaden Liam Cañamo, were also brought to the hospital after they vomited, sweated, and turned pale.
Sabidor also experienced lose bowel movement. All are residents of Barangay Punta Engaño, Lapu-Lapu City.
PO2 Joseph Rouel Cutanda, homicide investigator of the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office, said it was Gretchen Jugan, 23, the mother of one of the victims, who reported the incident. It was also her who bought the biscuits and shared the same with the other victims last Wednesday.
Jugan reportedly bought the biscuits last Tuesday and while she noticed they were slightly damp, she had them refrigerated overnight before letting her son eat the following day.
She said it took only about an hour at around 3:50 p.m. when the children who ate the biscuits started vomiting.
Jugan told the police she bought the biscuits from a female workmate who buys them from a factory and repacks them herself.
The workmate would reportedly sell the biscuits, at P80 per kilo. The packs do not have labels or expiration dates.
The Freeman is withholding the name of the workmate in the absence of any statement from her.
As of yesterday, the children who survived, as well as Sabidor, were already in stable condition.
Jugan said she did not expect the incident to happen because it was the fourth time she bought the biscuits from her friend.
Cutanda said he has advised Jugan to send samples of the biscuits to health authorities for examination but Jugan has reportedly threw what was left of the food away immediately after the incident. — /JMO (FREEMAN)
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