The Food and Drug Authority (FDA) has launched an investigation into the suspected food poisoning that has killed five persons including a pregnant woman in Accra.

Early on Friday, the Daily Graphic reported that some 40 persons had allegedly suffered food poisoning after eating a meal of rice and beans, popularly known as waakye which they had bought from a food joint at Oyibi Bush Canteen Junction, in Accra. Five of the victims died.

The victims including the waakye seller, popularly known as Yellow Sisi, and some of her family members were rushed to the Valley View Hospital, Oyibi Hospital, Dodowa Hospital and other facilities when they complained of severe stomach ache after eating the food.

The Yellow Sisi Waakye joint is considered to be one of the very popular food joints at Oyibi.

The FDA has taken up the matter to uncover the root cause of the unfortunate incident.

Victims’ narration

One of the victims who gave his name as Justice Ankomah said he started experiencing stomach ache and then diarrhoea later in the day, but did not consider it any “big deal” and took some medication to treat himself.

However, he pointed out that three other residents who operated shops around the joint and also patronised the waakye, as they often did, fell very sick and ended up being admitted to the hospital and had not been able to return to open their shops for business since last Friday.

The wife of one of the deceased that the Daily Graphic met and only gave her husband’s name as Kennedy, disclosed that her husband died last Monday at the St John’s Hospital at Amrahia, when he was rushed there after complaining of stomach ache and diarrhoea.

“He started complaining that Friday that he was not feeling well, but we thought it was a normal thing. It was later when it became severe that we rushed him to the hospital but he did not survive,” the widow disclosed.

She said later on they heard the news that many other people had been affected and were at different hospitals within the community.

Some relatives of Kennedy were spotted at the Oyibi Police Station following up on the issue.

They, however, refused to talk to the Daily Graphic about the incident as they said the police were investigating.