A
locally concocted beer Pombe allegedly mixed with a crocodile bile has killed
69 mourners in a funeral in Mozambique. The large scale poisoning was noticed
as the people after the funeral in the village of Chitima in central Mozambique
started having diarrhea and later on, 69 deaths were recorded.
Seven
fatalities were
initially confirmed on Saturday morning.
"As
we prepared to determine the cause of death of people we began to receive a lot
of people with diarrhoea and other muscle aches," Paula Bernardo, the
district director for Health, Women and Social Action, told a public
broadcaster.
"After
that we began to receive dead bodies from several neighbourhoods."
She
said at least 169 remained in hospital.
Samples
of the brew and suspicious objects found inside the drum have been sent to the
National Laboratory in the capital Maputo for testing.
Africa’s
funeral rites involve entertainment with drinks such as beers, at times home
brewed, concocted from corn, sorghum or other crops, after the burial of the
dead.
The
outgoing president of the country, Armando Geubuza has declared a three day
national mourning in honour of the victims.
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