2015-01-12 08:17
Maputo - At least 56 people, including a toddler, have died from
apparent poisoning after consuming traditional beer known as "phombe" in
the north-west of Mozambique, local authorities said on Sunday.
Carla
Mosse, director of health for the province of Tete, told Radio
Mocambique that 39 people remained hospitalised on Sunday after
suffering the same type of beer poisoning that caused the first deaths
on Saturday morning.
All the victims - including a 2-year-old
child - participated in a funeral on Friday during which they apparently
drank the traditional beer made from millet bran, the Mozambique paper A
Verdade reported.
Also Read: 50 die after drinking poisoned beer
The exact cause of the contamination remains unknown, but the
woman who brewed the "phombe" and several members of her family were
among the victims, Radio Mocambique reported.
"It's the first time
we've faced such a tragedy," said Mosse, who added that samples of the
poisoned beer, blood, urine and gastric fluids have been taken and are
being sent to the capital Maputo and South Africa for analysis.
Mozambique's government declared three days of national mourning in a decree published on Sunday evening.
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