Four die from wedding feast in Kedah

MALAYSIA - She was looking forward to her favourite cousin's wedding in Sungai Petani, in the Malaysian state of Kedah.

Miss Nurshazana Mohd Rashid (below), 24, an Arabic student at the International Islamic University of Malaysia, even went to her grandfather's home two days before the wedding to help with preparations, the New Straits Times reported.

The wedding feast on Saturday was a lavish spread which included chicken, beef and fish dishes. But the happy occasion soon turned tragic when the guests began complaining of dizziness and nausea.

Miss Nurshazana was among the four who died after the wedding. More than 60 people were taken to two hospitals.

The others who died were Mohammad Norraahmad Yusof, 11, Mr Ibrahim Mohamad, 62, and Mr Wan Razali Wan Yaakob, 56.

Miss Nurshazana's cousin, Mr Hairul Azhar Harun, 33, told the New Straits Times: "She was excited and had gone there two days before the wedding to help the bride's family."

Her siblings, aged eight and 10, and their mother also came down with food poisoning. They started vomiting and had acute diarrhoea that evening. But it was Miss Nurshazana who suffered the most.

Said Mr Hairul: "She was very weak and unable to move. The family took her to a clinic, but she died at noon." Norraahmad's mother Che Norma Khalid, 45, said her son had gone to the wedding with his father Yusof Arifin, 50.

"They came down with diarrhoea later that evening and my son's condition became worse on Monday morning. We rushed him to Yan Hospital after he passed out at home. He was pronounced dead at 1pm."

Mr Ibrahim, the third victim, was the wedding host's neighbour. His son Zulkifli, 31, said he had eaten a chicken dish during the feast.

Kedah Health Department director Ismail Abu Taat said the department was trying to determine the cause of the food poisoning.

He told The Star: "Food samples from the wedding feast have been taken for analysis. We have urged those who ate at the wedding to seek treatment immediately.

"We are also closely monitoring the condition of those warded at the two hospitals."

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