NEW DELHI: In a tragic turn of events, 8 children and a woman died and 78 people were hospitalised on March 5 after consuming sea turtle meat in Pemba islands in Tanzania, Metro reported.
The delicacy which is said to taste like beef with a texture that can be roughly compared to squid or alligator, is known to cause chelontoxism, a type of food poisoning.
Mkoani district medical officer, Dr Haji Bakari said that the laboratory tests confirmed all casualties had eaten sea turtle meat.
The adult who died after the meal was the mother of one of the children who had already lost their life earlier last week.
According to the Turtle Foundation Charity, turtle meat can be poisonous because of a type of food poisoning known as chelonitoxism. Though the exact cause is not known, it is thought to be linked to poisonous algae which the turtles eat, according to the Turtle Foundation charity.
According to the report, Zanzibar authorities sent a disaster management team to the region, who urged people to avoid consuming sea turtles.
Notably, cases of chelontoxism have also been reported in Indonesia, Micronesia and in India’s Indian Ocean islands.