At least 33 people are dead, including five children, after eating candy that accidentally was poisoned with insecticide in Pakistan.
“The number of dead as a result of poisoned candy has risen to 33, and 13 other victims are still hospitalized,” said the police chief of Karor Lal Esan district of Punjab province, Muhammad Ali Zia.
The poisoned candy was bought by a homeowner on April 17and, according to tradition, then handed them out to family and friends to celebrate his new grandson. In all, 52 reportedly have eaten the poisoned candy.
Police have arrested the owner and two employees of the store the poisoned candy was purchased after analysis found traces of insecticide in candy.
How the poison got there has not yet been determined, but police have a theory. A neighbor store that sold insecticides was under renovation, and the owner of the poisoned candy had been allowed to store some of their goods on the other store’s premises. During production, this could have been mistaken for sugar and have ended up in the candy.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today
