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AKASSAR: The South Sulawesi police office announced that arsenic in food consumed by 15 people had resulted in the deaths eight of them.

Adj. Comr. Mauludin, the police officer in charge of food security affairs, said the food contained up to 1.7 milligrams of Arsenic per liter, far above the normal 0.03 micrograms per kilogram of human body weight.

“An examination of the victims vomit showed a content of 1.7 milligrams of arsenic per liter. That’s extremely high toxicity and lethal,” he said.

However, police could not identify what substance had contained the arsenic.

“A forensic laboratory test will find it,” he said.

The incident had been linked to a cake made by sisters Lelah and Syamsidar, residents of Patappa village, Barru regency, on Tuesday.

Syamsidar died after consuming the cake. Other victims included several neighbors who shared the cake.

The victims suffered dizziness and vomiting, and had stiffened before death. Five people died on the scene and the other three died in hospital.

Police chief Ins. Gen. Jhony Waenal Usman said they hoped to get results from the lab test immediately.

“The forensic team gathered a sample of the cake and its substance. A pest poison was also found at the office,” he said. — JP