2 die of red tide poisoning in Samar

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines — Two boys, aged three and eight, died in a town in Samar before midnight yesterday after eating mussels locally known as tahong believed to be contaminated with red tide toxin.

Initial investigation by the provincial fishery office and Daram municipal government showed that six members of a family in Barangay Bagacay were taken to the Catbalogan Doctors Hospital after they experienced abdominal pain, vomiting and difficulty in breathing. Four of the victims remain confined in the hospital.

Authorities took samples of the shellfish, which the family ate for lunch, for analysis.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources banned gathering, selling and eating of all types of shellfish in the waters off Daram while waiting for the results of the laboratory test.

Daram is among the areas being monitored for red tide although recent samples taken from its waters yielded negative results for paralytic shellfish toxin.