4 die, 2 fall sick after eating puffer fish

Four members of a family died after eating puffer fish at Dholaipar in Old Dhaka on Monday and Tuesday. The deceased were identified as Robin, 10, his brother Rummon, 12, their uncles Mirza Md Mohsin Shaheen, 25, and Suja Mia, 22. Neighbours said Farida Akhter, a resident of Dholaipar under the city’s Kotwali Police Station, bought some puffer fish from a local fish vendor and cooked those on Monday. Farida is mother of Robin and Rummon and sister of Shaheen and Suja. All the family members fell sick after eating the puffer fish at supper. Locals took six members of the family to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) where on-duty doctor declared Robin, Rummon and Shaheen dead around 11:15pm on Monday. Suja died at the DMCH around 2:35am on Tuesday. Farida and her eight-year-old daughter also fell sick after eating the puffer fish but they are now out of danger, hospital doctors said, according to a news agency.