Grieving parents prepared for a mass burial yesterday of at least 27 schoolchildren who died after eating cassava -- a root that's poisonous if not prepared properly -- while 103 other people were hospitalized with severe stomach pain and diarrhea.
The victims, mostly aged 7 to 13, purchased the deep-fried caramelized cassava from vendors during snack time at the San Jose school in Mabini on Bohol island.
One of the two vendors also was sickened, and she remained in hospital yesterday while the other was in police custody to protect her from outraged parents, said Philip Fuderanan, the mayor's aide.
PHOTO: AP
Investigators were checking whether the vendors failed to properly cook the cassava, and looking into unconfirmed reports that tainted cooking oil was used to fry the food, Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit said.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said that she was "deeply saddened" and went yesterday to Mabini to console grieving parents and declare an emergency for the province so that it could draw emergency funds to assist victims' families.
"I pray to God that this will never happen again," Arroyo said in a statement. "I want the police to work with the health authorities to give me a detailed report on why and how this unfortunate incident happened."
Wailing parents left hospitals late Wednesday carrying bodies of their children wrapped in blankets, and Mabini Mayor Stephan Rances said a mass burial was planned for yesterday.
Francisca Doliente said her 9-year-old niece was given some of the cassava by her friend, then fell sick and was undergoing treatment.
"Her friend is gone. She died," Doliente told reporters.
The starchy roots of the cassava plant, a major crop in Southeast Asia, are rich in protein, minerals and vitamins A, B and C. However, it is poisonous without proper preparation. Eaten raw, the human digestive system will convert part of it into cyanide. The victims suffered severe stomach pain, then vomiting and diarrhea.
They were taken to at least four hospitals near the school in Mabini, about 610km southeast of Manila. Treatment was delayed because the nearest hospital was 30km away.
"Some said they took only two bites because it tasted bitter and the effects were felt 5-10 minutes later," said Dr. Harold Gallego of Garcia Memorial Provincial Hospital in the town of Talibon, where 47 patients were taken.
Dayrit said 27 students were confirmed dead. The vast majority of the 103 people recovering in hospital were schoolchildren, and four of them were in critical condition, hospital workers said. Those who had reached hospitals had a good chance of surviving, doctors said.
Officials of the National Bureau of Investigation and the Health Department were collecting samples of cassava at the site and drawing blood from patients for analysis, provincial health officer Reymoses Cabagnot said.
Grace Vallente said her 7-year-old nephew Noel died en route to the hospital and her 9-year-old niece Roselle was undergoing treatment.
"There are many parents here," she said from L.G. Cotamura Community Hospital in Bohol's Ubay town. "The kids who died are lined up on beds. Everybody's grief-stricken."
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