Banteay Meanchey – About 150 of the nearly 800 drug addicts in rehab at Phnom Bak new life center in Phnom Bak village, Teuk Thla commune, Serei Sophorn town, were poisoned by cucumbers, causing nausea and diarrhea. Several were taken to the hospital for treatment at 2 pm on December 1, 2019.
According to law enforcement sources, on November 30, 2019, there were about 3-4 bags of cucumbers delivered to Phnom Bak New Life Center for free.
A group of recovering addicts washed some in water and ate with salt. By nightfall, many were suffering from persistent vomiting.
The provincial police chief ordered transport to a clinic for 73 of the sick at Japanese-Cambodian Friendship Referral Hospital in Mongkol Borey district (*source says one man died, but unsure). By about 4 pm, around 90 other youths had been vomiting and were taken to Sisophon Referral Hospital. KBN
UPDATE: There have now been two confirmed deaths from the poisoning, while more than 200 people at the rehab center were affected. Cucumbers sprayed in pesticides are thought to be the cause of the outbreak. POST