TAWAU: A woman and her son reportedly died on Tuesday (Aug 12), believed to be due to food poisoning after attending a wedding banquet (kenduri) in a village here.
The victims, a 36-year-old woman and her nine-year-old eldest son, were believed to have experienced diarrhoea and vomiting before they were pronounced dead.
Tawau district deputy police chief Supt Champin Piuh said that a 24-year-old woman lodged a report claiming her aunt and cousin had died, possibly due to food poisoning.
“In a report made at about 10.30am on Tuesday, the complainant informed that the aunt and her son were believed to have suffered food poisoning after attending a wedding ceremony in the village last Saturday.
“The testimony of the victim’s husband and the complainant found that the mother and child attended the feast and packed food home for her husband.
“However, after eating the food, her husband also experienced diarrhoea and vomiting from Sunday morning until Monday afternoon,” he said when contacted by Sinar Harian, on Wednesday (Aug 13).
According to DCP Champin, preliminary investigation found that some guests who attended the wedding ceremony also experienced symptoms of diarrhoea and vomiting.
“However, the actual cause of the food poisoning is still under investigation by the Health Ministry. The Forensic Team of the Sabah Police Contingent Headquarters (IPK) also attended the scene to investigate,” he said.
The case was classified as sudden death, and the bodies of both victims were sent to Tawau Hospital for an autopsy to determine the cause of death or detect any other elements.
“The autopsy was completed at approximately 6.30pm on Tuesday and found no signs of injury on the two bodies,” he explained.
DCP Champin said the investigation is still ongoing
