Asia-Pacific

Indonesia: Hundreds of victims sick after eating donated food

(AP)
Updated: 2006-06-02 14:59

Hundreds of survivors of Indonesia's earthquake became sick after eating donated food and were hospitalized, police said Friday.

The victims, from five villages in Klaten district, complained of dizziness and severe stomach pains Thursday evening after eating donated rice mixed with vegetables, bean curb and egg, local police chief Lt. Col. Lilik Purwanto said.

Ambulances took more than 200 people to Suradji Tirtonegoro hospital and more than 100 others to Danguran hospital, he said. Many were treated in corridors at the overcrowded hospitals, and some remained hospitalized Friday.

Witnesses said the food was distributed by a young man, who has not been found, Purwanto said.

The cause of the food poisoning was still unclear, he said. There are frequent cases of food poisoning in Indonesia resulting from spoiled food.

Last week's quake killed more than 6,200 people and left nearly a half million others homeless. Many survivors are depending on food from relief agencies and private donors.