Tajikistan, Jul 8 (UNI) At least 14 prisoners have died after consuming mold-contaminated bread which was given to them during their transfer from prison in Tajikistan.
Around 128 prisoners were being transferred from their correctional facilities in the northwest Tajik cities of Khujand and Istaravshan.
Only two out of the sixteen prisoners survived after receiving the necessary medical assistance.
"One of the prisoners distributed three loaves of bread to 16 prisoners near Dushanbe in the evening. Half an hour after consuming the bread, 16 prisoners who were in the back of the truck started experiencing nausea, dizziness and vomiting. Half an hour later, when the car drove into the correctional facility, all 16 people who had consumed the bread lost consciousness," Sputnik quoted the main directorate as saying.
Sources said that the deadly bread could have been contaminated with toxic mold.
"Mold on bread can cause severe intoxication of the body, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, the prisoners who died after eating the bread showed all of these symptoms," the source said.
The mold could have been developed in the bread because it had been improperly stored in hot weather. A criminal case has been opened into the incident.
The incident was the second case of mass deaths among prisoners in Tajikistan in the past two months. On May 19, clashes broke out in Vahdat prison, 20 kilometers east of Dushanbe, killing 29 prisoners and three guards.
UNI XC JAL 1124