In India and Pakistan, laddus, ball-shaped sweets made of flour, minced dough and sugar, are for special festive occasions, like holidays, weddings and births. And on a Wednesday in mid-April, Umar Hayat and his family had much to celebrate in his village in Pakistan’s Punjab province, the birth of a grandson, Abdullah.
Of course, they gobbled them down, especially the children.
But as they did, they started vomiting, one after the other, in quick succession. They were rushed to the local hospital, Dawn reported, where they only became sicker. Then, one by one, they started dying. By Thursday of that week, 12 members of Hayat’s family were dead, among them eight sons, a daughter and three grandchildren.
At the same time, several dozen others who had purchased sweets from the same Tariq Hotel and Sweet Shop, also took horribly ill and were rushed to the hospital. By this week, 19 more who had consumed the sweets were dead.
The Chief Minister of Punjab paid a visit to the village, assuring the locals there would be a thorough
investigation.
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