Puffer fish kills 2, downs 10

BACOLOD CITY ,Philippines  – Two men died while 10 others were hospitalized after eating puffer fish (locally known as butete) in Escalante City, Negros Occidental last Sunday.

In another food poisoning case, a farmer and his six children aged three to 19 from Kabankalan City, also in Negros Occidental, were hospitalized after eating black mushrooms the previous day.

Escalante residents Nixon Legaspi and Jose Artajo were declared dead on arrival, while the 10 puffer fish victims were transferred to the Teresa L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City where they are now recuperating.

Farmer Dionesio Cabual said he harvested the black mushrooms from his farm in Barangay Urong and made them into a soup, which they ate for breakfast Saturday morning.

After eating the soup, however, Cabual and his children felt dizzy. Luckily, his wife had not eaten the mushrooms and was able to seek help.