At least 19 people, including 9 children, have died eating sea turtle meat

At least 19 people, including nine children, have died in Madagascar of food poisoning after eating the meat of a marine turtle, a protected animal.

A total of 34 people have been hospitalized in Vatomandry, in the east of the island, since Monday, ten of whom have died, according to the food and health security control agency, without specifying whether there were children. among the deceased, AFP reported. .

Added to this deadly balance are nine children who died at home after eating the meat of the same turtle, the region’s governor said.

The health authorities of the Big Island advise against the consumption of sea turtles and other 24 species of fish during the hot season.

These species feed on algae, which from November to March are toxic to those who eat their meat.

Each year, in the coastal areas of Madagascar, about fifty families are poisoned and there are regular deaths due to this ingestion.

In January 2018, eight people died of poisoning in the north of the country, and eight others the previous month.