News / Turkey

44 soldiers hospitalized after food poisoning in southeastern Turkey

Tuesday, 26 December 2017 1:48 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 26 December 2017 6:57 PM ]

A soldier is transported to hospital after a mass food poisoning at the Manisa First Infantry Training Brigade Command, western Turkey, on June 17, 2017. (Photo by Anadolu news agency)

Dozens of soldiers have fallen sick in a mass outbreak of food poisoning at a military camp in Turkey’s southeastern province of Gaziantep.

The Health Ministry said in a statement that 44 Turkish soldiers complained about nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea and fever late on Monday.

The statement added that a total of 41 of them were discharged from Islahiye State Hospital after receiving treatment. The other three soldiers are not displaying life-threatening conditions.

On June 17, a total of 731 troopers at the Manisa First Infantry Training Brigade Command were rushed to hospital with stomach pains and dizziness.

The soldiers at the barracks had eaten a meal of soup, rice, chicken and yogurt for Iftar, a meal with which Muslims break their dawn-to-dusk fasting during the holy month of Ramadan.

Police later detained 21 employees, including executives, of the catering company that provided food to the military compound in connection with the incident.

It was the second time in less than a month that soldiers at the Manisa First Infantry Training Brigade Command had been struck by food poisoning.

One soldier died in the May food poisoning incident, which was caused by salmonella bacteria.

Local opposition lawmaker Tur Yildiz Bicer posted pictures on Twitter of soldiers slumped on benches in the hospital, and others on a drip.

Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik visited the sick soldiers in hospital overnight, saying they were all set to make a full recovery.

“We don't see a significant problem; just some of our soldiers are being kept in for observation. No one is in intensive care or has their life in danger,” he pointed out.

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