At least two people have died and hundreds taken ill after mass food poisoning at a camp for displaced people near Mosul in Iraq, reported AFP. Iraqi health ministry spokesman Seif al-Badr said, “There are 752 cases of food poisoning and two deaths, a child and a woman, after a meal on Monday night”.
He said around 100 of those who were ill required critical hospital treatment in nearby city Irbil, after consuming an Iftar meal to break the dawn-to-dusk fast during Ramzan. However, an Associated Press report said at least 200 people had been hospitalised. In a statement, the United Nation’s refugee agency said at least one child had died of food poisoning and that 200 people were hospitalised.
The meal provided at the Hassan Sham U2 camp contained bean sauce, rice, meat, yoghurt and water, said Iraqi lawmaker Raad al-Dahlaki. After visiting the site overnight, he accused a charity from Qatar of providing the food, a claim that was backed by Saudi Arabian state media. On Tuesday, the lawmaker said officials would meet the Doha-based charity, RAF, later in the day.
Most of those affected are suffering from stomach cramps and dehydration, resulting from vomiting and diarrhea. Irbil police chief Abdulhaleq Talaat said seven people were arrested in connection with the incident. Dr Sabur Ahmed, head of Irbil children’s hospital, said 22 children remained in hospital while the rest have been discharged.
The charity, RAF, is one among 12 organisations and 59 people put on a list of alleged “terror entities” by Saudi, UAE and Bahraini officials this month. Qatar has been accused of supporting terrorist activities, and several countries have cut ties and suspended all flights to the kingdom.
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