Food poisoning sickens hundreds at Iraqi camp for the displaced

More than 700 people fell sick after a food poisoning outbreak hit a camp for displaced people 13 miles east of the Iraqi city of Mosul. A Qatari charity, RAF, paid a local restaurant to prepare the meal for the camp’s residents. They ate it on Monday night to break their Ramadan fast. Shortly after eating, people began vomiting and suffering from diarrhea. Ambulances and emergency responders rushed some of the more serious cases to hospitals while health workers treated others at the camp. Iraqi Health Minister Adila Hamoud said at least 300 people remained in serious condition. Jassim Mohammed, the minister of displacement and migration, confirmed in a Wednesday news conference that no one died in the incident. Local media reported that security officials arrested some employees from the charity organization and the restaurant to investigate why they provided spoiled food to the camp. Rzgar Obed, a camp manager, told The New York Times the food was prepared in the afternoon and kept out in the sun for nearly two hours before the meal. The food poisoning comes amid a diplomatic rift between Qatar and several other Arab nations. Saudi Arabia’s state television reported the incident and said the camp’s residents were “poisoned by the terrorist Qatari RAF organization.”

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