Nine die after consuming sea turtle meat

Eight children and a woman died after consuming sea turtle meat during holidays on Pemba Island in Zanzibar, Tanzania, local media reported

According to related publications, authorities also reported that 78 more people were ill after consuming the meat and were admitted to hospitals.

The victims were on holiday on Pemba Island, which is part of the Zanzibar Archipelago, in the East African country Tanzania.

 According to the local media, all eight children died and a woman from ‘chelonitoxism’, a form of food poisoning that can only be contracted by consuming sea turtles. The experts said that “chelonitoxism” is a rare and occasionally fatal type of food poisoning caused by eating marine turtles.

The mother of one of the children who died earlier in the week was the adult who passed away following the lunch.

District Medical Officer Dr. Haji Bakari said that the affected people consumed the meat on March 5, according. Laboratory tests, according to Dr. Bakari, verified that all of the victims had consumed sea turtle meat. 

A disaster management team from Zanzibar authorities visited the area and advised locals not to eat sea turtles.