Mushrooms were gathered from the forest near their plantation. Police
A Cambodian-Muslim family of four in Teuk Thla commune’s Prek Toal village of Preah Sihanouk province’s Prey Nob district are recovering from severe food poisoning after they ate mushrooms gathered from the forest near their plantation.
Fortunately, their neighbours and the local authorities intervened and got them to the hospital on time, according to police reports from April 21.
Teuk Thla commune police chief Horn Huy told The Post that Kob Aysad, 62, and her two sons, Tess Zurbert, 24, and Tess Hafis, 32 – as well as her daughter-in-law, 18-year-old Sos Kerias – were all poisoned after they had dinner together that included a mushroom soup made from mushrooms that the two sons had picked from the forest on the evening of April 20.
"Our police officers intervened and transported them to the Prey Nop District Referral Hospital immediately after receiving a report from the village guards on the night of the incident about their food poisoning symptoms.
“At this time, they have all made a full recovery except for the elderly Aysad, who is still weak and the medical staff will keep her at the hospital for at least another day,” Huy said.
Hafis, the eldest son, told The Post that on the evening of April 20 he and his brother, Zurbert, went to collect firewood and happened to find mushrooms growing near their plantation, so they took the mushrooms home thinking that they were an edible variety.
"My brother and I gathered almost two kilos of mushrooms and my wife cooked them for dinner," said Hafis.
"About two hours later, all four of us had stomach aches, headaches, diarrhea and vomiting – and then my mother fainted," Hafis said.
Hafis said that after seeing his mother faint, he shouted to the neighbours for help. His neighbours called the police who rushed them all to the hospital.
He added that his mother has now regained consciousness and he believes she will recover soon.
"Without the help of our neighbours and the local authorities, all four of us – our entire family, mother and children – we would have died," said Hafis.
