Two students in the north-central Vietnamese province of Quang Tri have died and another hospitalized after allegedly eating poison toad eggs.

Ho Van Nam and Ho Van Ngoc, a sixth-grader and an eighth-grader from Huong Hiep Commune, Dakrong District, are reported to have been killed by poison toad eggs, the local People’s Committee said on Monday.

Ho Van Cuoi, an eighth- grade student, was also admitted to hospital for emergency treatment, and his condition has stabilized.

According to the case file, Nam, Ngoc, and Cuoi went to a stream near their village on Sunday afternoon and managed to catch some fish and a score of eggs, the origin of which was unclear.

The students later cooked the fish and the unknown eggs at their home. They began to suffer nausea, rapid heart rates, and abdominal distention about an hour after eating the food.

Nam and Ngoc died at the house while Cuoi was brought to the hospital by local residents.

Chau Van Hien, an official from the Healthcare Center in Dakrong, arrived at the scene to investigate the cause of the incident.

Hien discovered the suspect toad eggs at the bottom of the cooking pot as well as in the victims’ dinning bowls, which could have caused the fatal poisoning.

The food samples have been collected for further examination.