Health officials and police are investigating a noodle shop in Muang district of Udon Thani province after 14 people, including the shop owner's grandchild, were rushed to the hospital with severe food poisoning.
The illness was linked to a mysterious substance used as cooking salt, which the shop owner's son had scavenged from near a trash can.
The incident prompted a June 9 joint inspection of the eatery,in the Phornsawan community, by the Udon Thani Provincial Public Health Office, forensic officers and local police.
According to investigators, the victims had consumed either noodles or à la carte dishes served with complimentary soup at the restaurant on June 8th. Shortly after, 13 people experienced severe symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, dizziness, breathing difficulties and severe diarrhea.
The casualties included customers and the shop owner’s own grandchild. All were rushed to the Udon Thani and Nong Khon Kwang Health Promoting hospitals. Several patients remain in critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
The shop owner admitted to using the suspicious ingredient, explaining that the shop had run out of salt on the day of the incident. Her son, who works as a scavenger, had recently brought home two bags of what appeared to be salt.
"I touched it and tasted it with my finger. It tasted salty, so I put two full spoons of it into the soup pot," the owner said. She added that she woke up the next morning experiencing dizziness and diarrhea herself.
Expressing deep remorse, she apologised to her customers, stating she never intended to harm anyone.
A relative who helps run the shop noted that everyone who fell ill had consumed soup from the same pot. They later discovered that the son had found the bags discarded next to a trash can, raising fears that the substance might be a chemical pesticide or industrial waste.
Health officials noted that the substance in question has a pale yellowish tint, which differs significantly from regular cooking salt. Samples of the suspect substance, the soup and other raw ingredients have been collected for laboratory testing to identify the exact toxin.
Meanwhile, police at Muang Udon Thani Station are monitoring the victims' conditions.
Authorities warned that, if laboratory results confirm the substance is a hazardous chemical, criminal charges will be pursued against those responsible.
The Public Health Office has issued a stern warning to food vendors, emphasising that, besides maintaining strict hygiene standards, they must only source ingredients from trusted, certified suppliers.
