UDON THANI – A suspicious white powder has been taken for analysis after the additive was found used at a noodle shop where fourteen customers have fallen ill.
Diners at a noodle shop in Ban Phonsawan, Udon Thani province, complained to authorities on Monday after experiencing severe side effects following their meals.
The group of 14 individuals reported stomach pain, nausea, difficulty breathing as well as seizures and contractions.
Out of the fourteen, four said they had to be admitted to intensive care.
One of the victims, 35-year-old Sarawut, reported severe abdominal pain, tightness of the chest, difficulty breathing and that his face turned pale only after several spoonfuls of his noodles.
Mr Suriya, 60, father to Mr Sarawut, rushed him to the hospital after noticing his poor condition. He later went to file a police report at Udon Thani City atation.
Police from the station, forensics officers from Udon Thai Provincial Public Health office and other related authorities travelled to the reported noodle shop for an inspection on Tuesday.
While collecting samples, they found a suspicious white powder and sent it for laboratory testing to determine the cause of the mass illness.
Upon interrogation, shop employee Boonliang, 55, who is also a cousin of the eatery's owner, revealed that on the day of the incident, her younger brother brought her a bag of the white powder, telling her it was cooking salt.
Mrs Boonliang said she added the substance to her soup pot without questioning. Shortly after, her employees and customers started experiencing unusual symptoms and sickness.
The shop owner’s brother, Sinchu, 46, later admitted he had taken the powder from an acquaintance's home, a local scrap collector, thinking it was table salt.
Tracking down to the scrap collector, authorities found out that the mysterious white powder had been collected from a waste site.
Its composition remains unknown. Test results are expected in roughly 20 days.
This news follows a previous instance of unhygienic food production in Thailand.
Read more at: Unsanitary meat factory shut down, products sold nationwide.
