A family suffered from health problems after consuming food believed to be contaminated, resulting in the death of three siblings in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Nowshera district, police said on Monday.

Nowshera police spokesperson Turk Ali Shah told Dawn.com, “The family had consumed Mithai [sweets] with tea at night, after which their condition deteriorated.”

“Three siblings have died after consuming poisonous food. Their mother was in critical condition,” he added.

He said that the family were shifted to the Qazi Hussain Ahmad Medical Complex, where the siblings — 8-year-old Maryam, 6-year-old Hareem and 4-year-old Muhammad Yaman — were pronounced dead.

“The mother is undergoing treatment at the hospital,” Shah continued.

The police lodged an inquiry report on the complaint of Bakht Sher, the children’s father, the spokesperson said, adding that an investigation was underway to ascertain the cause of the deaths.

In April, three children lost their lives while five others were in critical condition after having “poisonous” sweets in Punjab’s Hafizabad district.

Last year, a chemical report revealed that the deaths of 13 family members in Khairpur were allegedly caused by consuming poisonous milk.