More Than 80 Children Sickened by Food Poisoning in Cambodia

A farmer irrigates rice fields in 2013 in Cambodia. Photo: Chris Graham / Flickr

PHNOM PENH — Officials say more than 80 schoolchildren in Cambodia have fallen ill after eating contaminated food distributed by a local volunteer group.

The primary school students in the southern province of Takeo became sick Tuesday after eating fried rice, sausage and milk.

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Chea Vann, the governor of Tram Kak district, where the incident took place, told police that all of the victims had the same symptoms — diarrhea and vomiting.

He said Wednesday that the children have been sent to hospitals, and that all were in stable condition.

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Such mass outbreaks of food poisoning are not uncommon in Cambodia, where checks on food are rare and safety regulations lax.