Four die of food poisoning

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: Four people, all members of the same family, have died in Timor Tengah Selatan regency in East Nusa Tenggara due to suspected food poisoning, an official said Wednesday.

The four people, including two children, are believed to have fallen ill after consuming corn boiled together with papaya blooms in their home in Polo village, South Amanuban district.

A relative of the family, Levy Betty, said the mother and father complained of headaches after consuming the food and went to a nearby community health center to seek treatment. But the wife, Anthoneta, could not be saved. ""She died on the way to the center while her husband died at the center,"" Levy said. The two children died shortly afterwards at Soe hospital.

Head of the regency health agency, Markus Ng Righutta, said Wednesday that a medical team had been dispatched to seek the cause of the family's death. The police were also investigating whether any crimes were involved. -- JP