1 dead,118 others rushed to hospital in North Cotabato due to food poisoning

COTABATO CITY — A 53-year-old woman succumbed to dehydration while 118 others are now in hospitals after feasting on food served at a party over the weekend in the upland Arakan town in North Cotabato.

The victims first complained of painful abdominal spasms and started throwing up about an hour after dining together in a gathering in Barangay Salasang, Arakan.

Health workers and emergency responders immediately rushed them to different hospitals in North Cotabato for treatment.

A victim eventually died after refusing admission for proper medication, according to municipal officials.

North Cotabato Gov. Nancy Catamco, chairperson of the provincial disaster risk reduction and management council, said the provincial government is now helping attend to the needs of the 118 food poisoning patients.

Catamco said the provincial health office, operating under her ministerial control, is still investigating the incident.