Unknown bean

Sr Maborai made the call following the tragic death of four out of 11 students of an elementary school on Friday, May 5^th, after consuming some beans that were believed to be planted by a local man.

Community health worker at the Poiyu aid post, Maxson Soso, could only do so much as the children had consumed the bean around midday, while their parents brought them to him around 6.30pm.

A brother and sister, and their cousin brother, were already unconscious and foaming at the mouth when he received them at dusk.

Around midday last Friday, 11 Pake Elementary School children – aged 4-8 – consumed bean that was taken from a local man’s garden.

From the 11, four passed away at the Poiyu aid post in the evening after vomiting for over an hour.

Officer-in-charge of the Aseki Health Centre, Sr Mathilda Maborai, has raised concern that the bean species needs to be officially identified by specialists, and the community needs to be made aware of it.

“A family from Aseki Station also ate the bean, but in small amounts,” said Sr Maborai.