As many as 84 ethnic minorities students in Sa Thay District, Central Highlands’ Kon Tum Province, were hospitalised on Monday afternoon due to alleged food poisoning.

Doctors give treatment to the students at the Sa Thầy District Medical Centre. — Photo nhandan.com.vn

Director of Sa Thầy District Medical Centre Nguyễn Văn Thịnh said the centre began receiving students with bellyache, nausea and diarrhoea symptoms since 8am on Monday.

All the victims are from Kà Đừ Village. On way to school the same day, a group of people who said they were doing charity gave them milk and sweets. After eating the food, all the students suffered from symptoms of poisoning.

The food was within the expiry date, had clear trademark and was bought at a sweets-making enterprise in Ia Sao Commune, Ia Grai District, in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai.

Of the 84 students, 48 are from Nguyễn Tất Thành Junior Secondary School, one is from Lê Hồng Phong Primary School and the remaining 35 are from Sa Thầy District Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities Students.

Trương Thị Thu Thủy, principal of Nguyễn Tất Thành Junior Secondary School, said the students displayed poisoning symptoms following the flag salute ceremony, and school authorities immediately brought them to hospital.

Đào Duy Khánh, director of the Kon Tum Department of Health, said the department took samples for the food for testing.

Khánh added that all the victims would receive free treatment. — VNS