BAHAWALPUR: As many as 12 members of a family -- three men, four women and five minors -- landed in the hospital on Monday, allegedly after consuming toxic food on Sunday night at their house at Mauza Goth Ghani near Noorpur Noranga on Karachi-Lahore-Peshawar (KLP) Highway in the limits of Musafirkhana police station, about 40km from here.

According to social media reports, the family members consumed milk in the night and went to sleep. On early Monday morning, the neighbours noticed that all the family members were vomiting and their condition appeared to be serious.

On being called, a Rescue 1122 team reached the spot and shifted the sick persons to the Bahawal Victoria Hospital (BVH), Bahawalpur.

The affected persons include Manzoor Ahmed (50), his two sons, Imran (32) and Adnan (25), his wife Aziz Mai (50), a daughter Tania Bibi (17), Iqra (25), Sidra (27), Adil (7), Muhammad Makki (10), Maryam (5), Hasina Bibi (5), Maryam Bibi (6).

A police PRO, Naeem Ahmed, confirmed the incident, terming it a result of food poisoning.

The police report claims that the family members ate watermelon after dinner, which might have caused food poisoning.

It adds that the officials of Punjab Food Authority (PFA) have collected the patients’ samples, which have been sent to its laboratory for analysis, adding that the results are awaited.

However, District Emergency Officer (DEO) Baqir Hussain told Dawn that only two members of the family have been affected.

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2026