Health authorities say they have detected a highly toxic pesticide in samples of millet dumplings linked to a food poisoning cluster that has claimed the lives of at least three people in eastern Taiwan.
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00:00Health authorities say they have detected a highly toxic pesticide in millet dumplings,
00:05linked to the deaths of at least three people in eastern Taiwan.
00:09The tragedy began with the death on Tuesday of an 83-year-old woman from an indigenous
00:14community who died after eating millet dumplings that contained foraged snails, bamboo shoots
00:19and taro.
00:21The woman's family and members of the community held a vigil the same evening for the woman,
00:25where several people also ate the same dumplings and became sick.
00:39Health officials say a total of 12 people who attended the wake came down with food
00:43poisoning, with symptoms including convulsions and vomiting.
00:48Two of them died the following morning, and several others remain in intensive care.
00:53The health ministry on Thursday confirmed the presence of a highly toxic pesticide
00:56in the dumplings.
01:07Police have already spoken to the man who collected the snails used in the dumplings
01:12to find out where they came from.
01:14Authorities say they will monitor developments and work with investigators to determine any
01:19criminal liability in the tragedy.
01:22Josef Wu and Sunny Chi for Taiwan Plus.