15 of a family faint after eating ‘toxic’ rice in Karachi

KARACHI: At least 15 members of the same family fainted on Sunday after they consumed ‘toxic’ rice during a meal at their residence in Hingora Goth, Mominabad Town, ARY News reported.

Senior superintendent Malir said they received a report about fainting of over half a dozen family members after having a meal at a home in Hingora Goth. Later the affected people were moved to a nearby hospital.

He, however, said that condition of all the family members was out of danger. He said police probed the case and found the victims had bought rice with a food colour from a local shop in their area.

“After consuming the rice, their health deteriorated and they all lost their consciousness.”

The police have taken into custody the shopkeeper and all took some samples of the food colour and rice for examination. The shop has also been sealed, the SSP said.

He said a sample of cooked rice were also seized and will be sent to be laboratory.

A food poisoning incident had claimed lives of two minors in Karachi in November last year. Two kids, 18-month-old Ahmed and Muhammad, 5, breathed their last shortly after dining at the restaurant with their mother on November 10. The incident triggered a police investigation into a suspected case of death from food poisoning against a local restaurant in Karachi’s Defence Housing Authority.

In January, the family of the kids and the restaurant owner reached an out-of-court settlement.