Food poisoning kills 2 pupils, downs 42 in Cagayan
Two students died while 42 others were hospitalized after eating noodles mistakenly cooked with what authorities suspect to be oxalic acid in Cagayan province Tuesday. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said the incident occurred at 8:45 a.m. at Larion Bajo Elementary School in Tuguegarao City. "Forty-one pupils and three teachers were rushed to the different hospitals in Tuguegarao City. Two of the 41, identified as Eloisa Marie Ballad, 5, and Jessica May Bangayan, 5 died while undergoing treatment at Cagayan Valley Medical Center, Carig, Tuguegarao City, Cagayan," the NDRRMC said in its report. Police said their initial investigation showed the victims ate noodles cooked and sold by one Mrs. Nicolasa Fresado. Tuguegarao police said their initial investigation also showed a white crystalline substance placed in a plastic jar believed to be oxalic acid.