A father and his daughter died after eating a Thai curry made with deadly mushrooms in Chiang Rai, Thailand.
Boonpan, 78, and his 40-year-old daughter, Wijitra, collapsed at home on August 22 after consuming the poisonous meal.
Relatives were horrified when Boonpan began foaming at the mouth and convulsing violently.
They rushed to Wijitra’s locked bedroom and found her unconscious. They were both taken to the hospital but were later pronounced dead.
Police Captain Boonchuay Kanthawong from Mae Chan Police Station went to Mae Chan Hospital to investigate.
He said: ‘A preliminary examination revealed no external wounds from assault. Earlier, Mr Boonpan, the father of the deceased who showed the same symptoms, was transferred to Chiang Rai Prachanukroh Hospital for further treatment.
‘However, the hospital later contacted his relatives and informed them of the unfortunate news of his passing.’
Wijitra’s elder sister, Thatsanee, 49, said the mushrooms had been gifted by a friend. Their mother cooked them into a large curry, unaware they were deadly.
Thatsanee said: ‘My sister had never cooked with this type of mushroom before because she didn’t usually like mushrooms.
‘This was the first time. A friend gave her some, so she asked our mother to make them into a curry and even shared some with relatives, but they hadn’t cooked theirs yet.
‘I love mushrooms, but after what happened, I will never touch them again. It’s difficult to tell which ones are poisonous.’
Authorities sent a sample of the mushrooms to Chiang Rai Prachanukroh Hospital for analysis.
Last July, three relatives also died in Buriram, northeast Thailand, after eating a curry made with wild mushrooms.
Community leaders have urged villagers to be extremely careful when foraging for mushrooms.
Several mushrooms contain toxic substances that can kill. Symptoms often differ depending on the type of mushroom.
While some affect the liver, others lead to the loss of limbs and can cause cardiac arrest.
Some of the deadliest types can kill within hours, causing extreme pain in the hours before death.
However, in some cases, serious symptoms appear days or even weeks after the poison is eaten.
In July, in a case that garnered widespread attention, an Australian woman was found guilty of killing three relatives with mushrooms that were poisoned.
