Two minors die of 'food poisoning' after dining at Karachi restaurant

KARACHI: Two minors died of food poisoning on Sunday afternoon while their mother was recovering at a private hospital in Karachi, police said

The deceased children were identified as one-and-a-half-year-old Ahmed and five-year-old Muhammad.

They had dinner at a high-end eatery at Zamzama and then had sweets at Chunky Monkey IV last night, the police said.

According to the South police, both the spots were sealed for forensic investigations. 

The mother is said to be out of danger now. 

Meanwhile, a team of Sindh Food Authority raided the restaurant and  collected food samples for investigations. 

Sohai Aziz, a senior police officer, told media that it could be a case of poisoning, but that it was premature to draw any conclusion at this stage. 

"The matter is under investigation. A case will be filed if children were found to be poisoned," she said. 

The police said that father of the deceased children has agreed to allow the investigators to carry out postmortem to determine the actual cause of the death. 

The police have recorded statement of all members of the children's family. Four workers of the restaurant have been taken into custody for questioning while CCTV footage has been obtained.  

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has also asked for a report about the death of two children.