A noodle shop owner in Udon Thani mistook an unidentified substance, collected from a rubbish pile, as salt and added it to the soup, leaving 13 people, including her daughter, in a hospital.
Officers from Mueang Udon Thani Police Station were called to a noodle shop in Nong Bua subdistrict to investigate a food poisoning after multiple customers and staff reported similar symptoms, including nausea, dizziness, diarrhoea, vomiting, and breathing difficulties.
Those affected were identified as Pornchai, Supranee, Sinuan, Sarawut, Thawatchai, Apichai, Thanwa, Noknoi, Wiyada, Pan, Boonliang Pannika, and Maetin. Police said four people developed severe symptoms, including Supranee and Sarawut, who remain under close medical supervision.
The shop owner, 70 year old Pan, told police she had run the restaurant for six to seven years, mainly serving noodle dishes. She said she prepared the soup on the morning of the incident but realised she had run out of salt.
Pan said she recalled that her 46 year old son, Sinchoo, had previously brought home two bags of what he believed to be salt. She later found the bags, which appeared dirty and contained a light yellow substance.
According to Pan, she tasted the substance and found it salty, leading her to believe it was suitable for use. She then added it to the soup served to customers.
Pan reported experiencing numbness in her mouth and dizziness shortly afterwards. She initially attributed the symptoms to her health and rested before later seeking treatment at hospital when her condition worsened.
Boonliang, a relative who was helping at the shop that day, told police she tasted two to three spoonfuls of the soup and developed similar symptoms.
She added that Supranee, Pan’s daughter, ate the noodles. She later suffered a seizure and nearly lost consciousness before being taken to hospital by rescue workers.
Sinchoo told police he had obtained the two bags from a friend, Chian, believing they contained salt. Chian, who collects recyclable waste, said he found several bags of a yellow substance in a rubbish pile and did not know what they were. Chian stated that he warned Sinchoo not to take or consume the substance.
Police seized the substance from the restaurant for testing to determine its composition. As of now, officials have not released the results of the examination.
Most of the affected victims are now reported to be in stable condition. One victim’s father reportedly filed a complaint seeking accountability from the restaurant owner.
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