3 dead, dozens hospitalized after eating sea turtle stew in the Philippines

Three Indigenous Teduray people died and more than 30 others were hospitalized after they ate an endangered sea turtle stew in the Philippines, officials said.

Officials said dozens of people in the seaside town of Maguindanao del Norte Province reported feeling symptoms like diarrhea and vomiting after eating the dish last week, CBS News partner BBC reported.

Under Philippine environmental protection laws, hunting or consuming sea turtles is illegal but they are still eaten as a traditional delicacy in some communities. The sea turtle was cooked as adobo, a popular Filipino dish, the BBC reported.

A local official, Irene Dillo, told the BBC that coastal town residents frequently get their food from the sea.

“It was unfortunate because there is so much other seafood in their village – lobsters, fish,” she said.

Some dogs, cats and chickens that were fed some of the dish also died, Dillo said.

According to the BBC, sea turtles that eat contaminated algae can be toxic when cooked and eaten. Dillo said authorities were investigating the cause of the deaths.

Datu Mohamad Sinsuat Jr., a local councilor, told the BBC he had told local officials to strictly enforce the ban on hunting seat turtles so “this food poisoning incident will never happen again.”

Earlier this year, eight children and one adult died after eating sea turtle meat in Zanzibar, while 78 other people were sent to the hospital.

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