Fifty-seven children were among 84 people in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong who came down with alleged food poisoning after eating food donated by a charity group on Sunday afternoon.

Dao Xuan Dung, chairman of Me Linh Commune in Lam Dong’s Lam Ha District, confirmed on Monday morning that 250 local residents in Thuc Nghiem Village received food given by a ten-member charity group from Ho Chi Minh City the afternoon before.

After eating the food, dozens of people showed symtoms of food poisoning at around 4:00 pm on the same day, Dung said.

Among them, 27 adults were admitted to the Lam Dong General Hospital, while 57 children, including some as young as 13 months, were taken to the Lam Dong Children’s Hospital

Le Tho, director of the Lam Dong Children’s Hospital, said the children were hospitalized with symtoms including nausea, dizziness, vomiting, and fatigue, with the last case received on early Monday morning.

The adults taken to the Lam Dong General Hospital also showed similar symtoms.

All the patients were treated for food poisoning.

Tho later told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the minor patients were no longer in a critical condition and could soon be discharged from the hospital.

According to chairman Dung, the charity group from Ho Chi Minh City had not asked for permission from local authorities before handing out the food to the residents.

“The cause of poisoning is yet to be determined,” chairman Dung said.

“We only know for now that the group cooked porridge and gave instant noodles, eggs, sterilized sausages, milk, and cooking oil to the people,” he added.

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