Bits and Bites from Around the World > Toxic Turtle kills 3, sickens dozens on Mindanao; Soccer stampede kills 56 in Guinea

 

At least 3 killed, dozens sickened in southern

Philippines after consuming sea turtle 'adobo'

By Paul Godfrey

At least three people were killed and 32 hospitalized in the southern Philippines after eating a local dish prepared with sea turtles, an endangered species. While sea turtle is safe for human consumption they can contain poisonous algae. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo

Dec. 2 (UPI) -- At least three people were killed and 32 hospitalized in the southern Philippines over the weekend after eating a local dish prepared with sea turtle, an endangered species.

Those affected were all members of the Indigenous Teduray people on Mindanao in a fishing village 125 miles west of the island's largest city, Davao City, fell ill with vomiting, abdominal spasms and diarrhea.

Datu Blah Sinsuat Councillor Datu Mohamad Sinsuat Jr., told the Philippine Inquirer on Monday that 31 people were still being treated in a local hospital.

Local official Irene Dillo told the BBC authorities were investigating the cause of death of the victims but that some cats, dogs and chickens were also killed after being fed with the turtle flesh.

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A team of epidemiologists was sent to the area by the Integrated Provincial Health Office in nearby Cotabato.

The turtle was used in a meat, vegetable, vinegar and soy sauce dish called adobo that is normally made with pork.

The creatures are protected by law in the Philippines, but some communities continue to hunt and eat them as part of their cultural heritage which holds turtle meat and eggs confer medicinal benefits.

Turtle is safe to eat but becomes hazardous when the animals have eaten toxic sea algae which then makes the turtle poisonous and the investigation will center on determining whether this or unsafe handling and preparation caused so many to be killed and sickened.

Datu Blah Sinsuat Mayor Marshall Sinsuat said he had ordered the leaders of all 13 neighborhoods across the municipality to enforce the existing ban on catching sea turtles for food in waters under their jurisdiction.

Four people were killed and 64 were seriously sickened In 2013 in Eastern Samar in the Visayas region of the central Philippines after eating a sea turtle found near their village.

Soccer match crowd-crush kills at least 56 in Guinea

By Paul Godfrey

At least 56 people were killed, including some children, in a stampede at a soccer match in southern Guinea as Prime Minister Bah Oury, pictured here, said "regional authorities are working to restore calm and serenity among the population." File Photo by Andre Pain/EPA-EFE

Dec. 2 (UPI) -- At least 56 people were killed, including some children, in a stampede at a soccer match in southern Guinea after fans of the visiting team took exception to a series of calls by the referee.

An investigation was underway into what caused Sunday's crowd crush at a stadium in the city of Nzerekore, Information Minister Fana Soumah said in a statement.

Many people were also injured, some of whom are in critical condition in the hospital.

Prime Minister Bah Oury condemned the scenes that preceded the stampede.

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"The government deplores the incidents that marred the football match between the Labe and Nzerekore in Nzerekore," Oury said in a statement.

"The regional authorities are working to restore calm and serenity among the population," he added. The government is monitoring the development of the situation and reiterates its call for calm so that hospital services are not hindered in providing first aid to the injured," said Oury.

Local media reported that clashes broke out at the match in support of President Mamady Doumbouya's ruling military regime between fans and security and police, who fired tear gas after the crowd invaded the pitch.

"Protests of dissatisfaction with refereeing decisions led to stone-throwing by supporters, resulting in fatal stampedes," Doumbouya's administration said in a statement that warned the death toll could rise.

Footage circulating online appeared to show fans clambering over the wall of the stadium to escape the chaos.

Doumbouya, who seized power in a military coup in 2021 is weighing running for president in elections next year, staging other football tournaments across the country condemned by the opposition political parties as a ruse to build support for a possible run.

Guinean soccer has come under the spotlight recently over corruption and violence allegations with the president of Feguifoot, Guinea's governing body of the game, under an ethics investigation.

Feguifoot's Aboubacar Sampil has been accused of fomenting violence, attempting to pressure referees, disregarding rules and cronyism.