PESHAWAR (The Thursday Times) — Laboratory tests have found a poisonous substance in a sample taken from one of seven children of a family in Khyber district, five of whom died after suddenly falling ill, officials said on Thursday.
The children, from the same extended family in Bazaar Zakha Khel in Landi Kotal tehsil, lost consciousness earlier this week. Five of them died while being taken to hospital, Khyber’s deputy commissioner, Shahid Ali, said. The other two were treated at Hayatabad Medical Complex in Peshawar and have since recovered and gone home, he said.
According to local reports, the five who died, three girls and two boys, had a high fever, severe seizures, and sudden loss of consciousness before their deaths between November 7 and 9.
Blood, urine, and other samples from the children were sent to Khyber Medical College in Peshawar for testing, the district health officer said. The college’s report found a poisonous substance in the sample of one child. Officials said the exact substance, and how the children came into contact with it, had not yet been established.
After the findings, the case was referred to the Khyber district police officer for investigation and legal action, officials said. Police are expected to look into the nature and source of the substance.
Health officials had earlier said they were examining whether the children accidentally swallowed a pesticide or rat poison, and had collected food, drinking water, and household samples. The provincial health department also sent a medical team to the area after the deaths. Initial tests showed normal calcium and magnesium levels and normal blood clotting, and further toxicology screening is under way.
Landi Kotal is a town on the main road to the Torkham border crossing with Afghanistan.
