Seven dead after eating dangerous turtle meat in Tanzania

poisonous turtle meat

At least seven people are dead after eating dangerous turtle meat on Pemba Island, Zanzibar, in Tanzania.

At least seven people, including a 3-year-old child, have died on Pemba island, part of Tanzania’s Zanzibar Archipelago, after eating poisonous turtle meat. Another 24 people are in hospital, according to a preliminary statement given by the local authorities.

Regional police commander Juma Sadi has explained that three of the victims died on Friday, another two on Saturday, and two more on Sunday.

Although no official evidence has confirmed the link between them, the cases are limited to a single town in the district of Micheweni, in the northern part of Pemba island. Turtle meat is a frequently consumed delicacy in the region, and the police have therefore taken the decision to ban the consumption of turtle meat until further notice.

The president of Zanzibar, Hussein Mwinyi, has expressed his condolences to the families of the victims on behalf of his government and has asked residents to keep calm while investigations are carried out.

There have also been cases of poisoning from turtle meat in other countries, including Madagascar, Indonesia and Micronesia.

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Written by

Tamsin Brown

Originally from London, Tamsin is based in Malaga and is a local reporter for the Euro Weekly News covering Spanish and international news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.

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