6 dead in Nigeria food poisoning incident

Six people were confirmed dead after consuming a local beverage at a wedding reception in Nigeria's northwest Kano State, sources said here on Tuesday. Some of the guests at the party gulped an intoxicating beverage which caused a serious stomach upset, said Ibrahim Maigari, a guest at the party. According to him, the celebration turned tragic when the victims, mainly men, slumped and were immediately rushed to a local hospital. "Six people actually died on their way to the hospital. We do not know if there are more casualties right now because some other sets of guests also complained of food poisoning," said Maigari, adding the incident had caused confusion among residents. Another source said some of the victims were buried on Monday, while others would be buried Tuesday. With severe pain, some other guests are still groaning at the hospital were they are receiving treatment, added the source. However, the local police has declined to give accurate figure of victims of the food poisoning tragedy. State police spokesperson Magaji Majiya, who confirmed it to Xinhua, said an investigation had commenced on the incident which occurred on Sunday night. "On receiving the report, we invited the groom, who has been giving us right information. I cannot confirm the number of deaths until we finish our investigation," said the spokesperson.