Boy died, 4 ill after eating cassava in NCotabato

KIDAPAWAN CITY - A four-year old boy died while his parents and other siblings landed in ahospital after eating cassava served during dinner in remote village in Pikit, North Cotabato on Wednesday evening, officials said. Muslima La, a midwife of Cruzado Clinic where the victims are being treated, identified the fatality as Mama Payag who died due to dehydration and severe stomach ache. The boy parents, identified as Edris and Tingga Payag and their three children Alibai, 4 Asarapia,6 and Ali, 8 all residents of Barangay Gli-gli, Pikit town. They arenow under tight observation at theCruzado Medical Clinic. La disclosed that the victims cooked the cassava they bought in nearby Midsayap town and ate it during dinner. But within anhour, the victims suffered severe stomach ache, dizziness, nausea and stomach disorder. Tahira Kalantongan, Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer (MDRRMO), has sent health officials in the village to get samples of the cassava eaten by the victims. Allegedly the boy died instantly due to dehydration but still we cannot pinpoint whether the cassava was the cause of their illness, unless the health department examines it,” Kalantongan said.