25 Youths Die After Eating Snack

At least 25 schoolchildren died and more than 90 were hospitalized Wednesday in a remote southern Philippine town after eating cassava root cakes during morning recess, authorities said.

Authorities were investigating whether the cakes, served by vendors near San Jose Elementary School in the town of Mabini, were improperly prepared. Cassava root, widely consumed in Southeast Asia and other parts of the world, can be poisonous if not completely peeled and thoroughly cooked.

Most of the dead were ages 7 to 12, officials said. One of the two vendors, Ana Lupong, was in serious condition after eating one of her cakes.

“We are doing everything to save the children,” provincial spokesman Junin Caberde said.

The children ate the fried cakes, locally known as balanghoy, and within minutes began complaining of stomach pain. Some reported difficulty breathing and started vomiting.

School officials and parents rushed the children to clinics and hospitals, but the rural healthcare facilities here are poorly equipped to deal with such a crisis. The impoverished nation’s healthcare system, reeling from budget cuts, is understaffed and short of supplies, especially in remote areas. Mabini is about 400 miles southeast of Manila on the island of Bohol.

Most of the those poisoned were taken to hospitals in the neighboring towns of Ubay, Talibon and Candijay aboard two trucks because there was no ambulance available, Mabini Mayor Stephen Rances said.

“Many of them are still in serious condition in the hospitals,” said Dr. Serena Bulos, the school superintendent.

Television footage showed a row of children’s bodies on the ground outside a hospital. Inside, stunned parents sat with bleary-eyed but conscious children who were recovering from the poisoning.

Many families began holding funerals today for their children.

One mother who lost her 7-year-old son appealed for assistance from the outside.

“We are all poor people,” said Inday Luyong, 25, in a radio interview. “Please help us bury our children. We have no money for coffins.”

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo flew to Mabini by helicopter this morning to survey the scene, console the parents and offer aid. In Manila, Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit said he was dispatching a team of doctors to Bohol to investigate.

The team will examine whether the snacks were undercooked, allowing the human digestive system to convert the cassava root into cyanide, Dayrit said. They will also look at whether pesticides might have seeped into the cassava.

“At least 90 children who were also poisoned are in a stable situation now, but doctors are still observing their condition,” the secretary said.

Police in Mabini said they found rat poison on the floor of Lupong’s canteen where the cakes were sold, but officials would not say whether they believed this was connected to the poisoning.

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Special correspondent Jacinto reported from Zamboanga City and Times staff writer Paddock from Singapore.