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Grandfather Accidentally Kills 23 Family Members At Grandson’s Birth Celebration With Poisoned Sweets

By Tara West
Published on: 10:28 PST, Apr 27, 2016

A grandfather’s joyful celebration for his grandson turned tragic after he accidentally served pesticide-laden sweets to family members. The grandfather, Umar Hayat, had purchased treats from a local bakery in Pakistan to mark the special occasion and had no idea anything was wrong with the confectionaries until his family members began to fall ill during the party. Five people, including the father of Hayat’s new grandson, would die at the celebration and at least 18 others would die later from complications due to poisoning.

KFSM reports that a grandfather in Pakistan is devastated after 23 of his family members died from consuming treats he had purchased for his grandson’s birth celebration. The doting grandfather purchased sweets from a local bakery to commemorate the birth. However, after eating the treats, family members at the party began to feel ill. Five people, including the newborn’s father and four uncles, would die at the party with 18 others dying in area hospitals. In addition to the 23 who died from the tainted confectionaries, 52 other family members are still receiving treatments in the hospital for poisoning.

“The death toll from consumption of the sweets has now risen to 23, and 52 people are still being treated at various hospitals.”

According to Radio Free Europe, the tragic ordeal began when Umar Hayat prepared a celebration for his family following the birth of a new grandson. The grandfather went to a local bakery in Pakistan on April 17 and purchased some sweet treats to share with family members at the celebration. After picking up the confectionaries, the grandfather took them to the large party that was underway. The treats were distributed, and things quickly turned to chaos as people began falling ill.

Five people died at the party and dozens others were rushed to area hospitals. In total, 23 people would die from the tainted treats and 52 others hospitalized. The grandfather couldn’t understand what had happened to the treats as he had brought them directly to the party from the bakery. Police investigated the sweets and discovered that they were laced with a pesticide. The bakery, which was located in the Karor Lal Esan area in Punjab Province, had accidentally mixed the pesticide into the sugar mixture used in the treats causing the deaths. The pesticide was allegedly in the bakery despite regulations making it illegal.

Three bakery workers, the two brothers who own the bakery and an employee, were arrested in relation to the deaths resulting from consuming the baked goods. The police have not disclosed the charges that the owners and worker face; however, it appears that bakery violations and negligence are likely to result from the incident. However, at least one report indicates that the bakery knew of the pesticide in the product before selling it to Hayat.

Meanwhile, as police investigate the horrifying poisoning, Umar Hayat is mourning the loss of his family members. While the poisoning seems unfathomable, it isn’t the first time that a business has unintentionally poisoned its clients. In fact, it recently happened here in America despite strict food regulations. At a Dickey’s Barbeque Pit in Utah, a woman was rushed to the hospital after consuming tainted sweet tea at the restaurant. Restaurant employees had inadvertently poured chemical cleaner into a sweet tea container.

“Investigators said a Dickey’s employee mixed the chemical, ‘Clean Force Fryer Cleaner,’ into the sweet tea drink thinking it was sugar; it has a similar appearance.”

The 67-year-old woman survived her injuries and no criminal charges were filed against Dickey’s Barbeque Pit.

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