VICTIMS. Village officials bring the victims of suspected food poisoning to the municipal hospital after eating chicken stewed in coconut milk, suspected to be spoiled, during a traditional wedding rite in Barangay Pandan, South Upi, Maguindanao del Sur. Of the 80 patients, 49 remained in the hospital as of Friday (April 26, 2024), according to town Mayor Reynalbert Insular. (Photo from RHU-South Upi)
COTABATO CITY – A spoiled chicken stew served during a traditional marriage rite in a remote village in South Upi, Maguindanao del Sur, downed some 80 guests on Thursday.
“Most of those hospitalized pointed to the chicken stewed with coconut milk as the reason they experienced abdominal pain and vomited,” South Upi Mayor Reynalbert Insular said in a statement Friday.
He said the victims are residents of Barangay Pandan, an upland community of the Teduray indigenous people, who were attending a traditional wedding.
Of the 80 wedding guests who complained of dizziness and stomach disorder, 49 remained in the South Upi community hospital, while the rest were allowed to return home.
“Those in the hospital have slept well, and we believe they are now stable, anytime they will be discharged from the hospital,” Insular said.
A laboratory test is being conducted to confirm whether the incident was a case of food poisoning, he added. (PNA)
