- Eight children and one adult tragically perished in Zanzibar after consuming sea turtle meat
- An additional 78 individuals are battling for survival in hospital, after the meat turned out to be highly toxic
- The Swahili-speaking nation’s government has since issued a warning, advising citizens against consumption of sea turtles
Nine people lost their lives in Zanzibar, after consuming sea turtle meat which turned out to be highly poisonous.
The nine included eight children and an adult, while 78 others who also ate the sea turtle are fighting for their lives in hospital.
The unfortunate adult, who passed away late on Friday, was revealed to be the mother of one of the deceased children, as disclosed by Dr. Haji Bakari, the district’s medical officer.
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According to Bakari, the ill-fated consumption of the turtle meat occurred on Tuesday.
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The Guardian quoted him saying that laboratory tests had confirmed all the victims had eaten sea turtle meat.
This heart-wrenching incident echoes a similar tragedy from exactly a year prior, where seven individuals, including a three-year-old, met their demise on the same island after eating turtle meat.
Despite its status as a cherished delicacy, particularly on Pemba Island within the Zanzibar archipelago where the calamity unfolded, sea turtle meat has long been associated with fatalities due to chelonitoxism, a deadly form of food poisoning.
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In response to the crisis, Zanzibar authorities swiftly dispatched a disaster management squad and urgently implored the people of the Swahili Nation to refrain from partaking in the consumption of sea turtle meat.
