Food poisoning blamed for deaths of six family members from Kyauktaw Twsp village

By DMG 28 Nov 2022

DMG Newsroom
28 November 2022, Kyauktaw

Six people in a family from Thethtin Village, part of Arakan State’s Kyauktaw Township, reportedly died from food poisoning after eating corn from a local market on November 26.

The six family members reportedly came down with food poisoning and experienced acute difficulty breathing after eating maize they bought from Kyauktaw’s Myoma market, and 23-year-old Ma Soe Than died while being transported to Welgyidaunt Hospital.

The five others were transferred to Kyauktaw Hospital, where Daw Khaing Than Nu, her daughter Ma Sandar Win, and her son Maung Kyaw Nyein Tun died on November 27. Daw Khaing Than Nu’s husband U Thauk Kyar Aung and her 60-year-old mother died at the hospital on Monday morning.

“They [victims] said they felt suffocated after eating maize. They were first admitted to Welgyidaunt rural hospital, where Ma Soe Than was pronounced dead on arrival,” said a family member. “They were then transferred to Kyauktaw Hospital. Now, all of them who were receiving medical treatment at Kyauktaw Hospital have died of food poisoning.”

The family member said it was hoped that autopsies would shed more light on the nature of the tragedy, explaining: “At the moment, liquid from the stomachs of the deceased has been taken and sent to Sittwe for medical examination. Only after the results of the medical examination will we know what the cause of the poisoning was. The dog in their home also died, so we don’t know whether the dog ate the maize or not.”

Thethtin is a predominantly ethnic Mro village located near Pi Creek, about two miles from Kyauktaw town.