Brazil: Three dead in suspected Christmas cake poisoning

Police say arsenic was detected in the blood of family members who ate the cake in Torres.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatch LiveHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersThree dead in suspected Christmas cake poisoningCivil PoliceArsenic has been found in the blood of one of three women who died after eating a Christmas cake in a suspected poisoning in Brazil, a police chief has told local media.

The highly toxic substance was also identified in the blood test results of a 10-year-old boy and the woman who made the cake - both of whom are still in hospital.

Five members of the same family fell ill after eating the cake at a gathering in Torres, in the southern Rio Grande do Sul state, on Monday afternoon.

Police have sent the cake for testing, and said several out-of-date food items were also found during a search at the woman's house. They added that it is not yet clear whether the suspected poisoning was intentional.

Test results from the cake are expected to be available by next week, according to local media.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c623lerlr19o

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