Over 150 FTZ employees hospitalized with food poisoning

Chamikara WEERASINGHE

Over 150 persons have been hospitalized yesterday from a private company in the Biyagama Free Trade Zone with abdominal cramps, vomiting and diarrhoea. They were admitted to hospitals following episodes of vomiting, abdominal cramps and diarrhoea that had occurred after eating a special Tuesday meal provided by the company.

There are 850 male and female workers in this company, of them more than 150 have been taken sick with complaints of vomiting and diarrhoea after eating a provision of chicken kotthu that was given to them by its own catering service.

The patients are now being treated at hospitals in Biyagama, Dompe, Gampaha and Colombo for suspected food poisoning, said Chief Inspector and OIC of Biyagama Police, Shantha Tillekeratne.

The company which manufactures kayasails and canoe sails provided a special meal to its workers on Tuesdays which is said to have been cooked in their premises. They had served Indian and Italian food to their workers as a special provision, said OIC Tillekeratne.

We have already sent food samples to the Public Health Inspector for necessary laboratory tests, he said.

We learnt about the incident at 4.30 a.m with more persons being rushed to hospitals in the area for symptoms of food poisoning. Police have recorded statements from the company's management. Biyagama Police are investigating .