Durians are considered a delicacy in many parts of Asia, so much so that if they were to be available for free, a crowd of durian-lovers is sure to form.
However, on Wednesday (26 Aug), durians were seen floating off the waters in Guangxi Province. Quite a number of residents in the area rushed to salvage whatever fruits they could find.
Later that night, many of them started experiencing food poisoning symptoms after eating the durians and were rushed to the hospital.
According to 8World News, a cargo ship filled with durians capsized near Wan Wei Beach on Wednesday (26 Aug) morning.
It didn’t take long for the fruits to wash ashore, turning the Guangxi beach into a durian ‘mine’.
Crowds soon formed at the beach, attempting to ‘harvest’ the floating durians.
The local authorities reportedly advised residents against it, but many did not listen.
Some even drove their cars to the beach, filling their boots with the thorny fruit.
Others grabbed their boats and headed to sea in search of more durians.
Later that night, hospitals in the area started seeing throngs of patients streaming in, all showing symptoms of food poisoning. There were reported 363 of such patients.
Many of them complained of stomachache and vomiting.
The next day, the Guangxi hygiene agency confirmed that the patients with the symptoms had indeed consumed durians from the beach.
They also discovered that the batch of durian was missing some relevant documents.
What made things even more suspicious was that the captain allegedly fled the scene shortly after his ship capsized.
In light of these reasons, the authorities suspect that the durians might have been smuggled.
Investigations are currently ongoing.
Our hearts go out to the Guangxi residents who suffered food poisoning after consuming the suspicious durians. We hope their conditions will take a turn for the better soon.
We hope this teaches everyone to be more conscious about the source of their food, especially even if they’re free of charge.
Featured image adapted from OZ Voice.
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