WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Officials in Poland say three Afghan children staying at a refugee center fell ill after eating poisonous mushrooms picked in a forest, with two of them in intensive care fighting for their lives.
The children and their families had recently arrived in Poland after fleeing the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. They were staying in a center for foreigners in Podkowa Lesna, a town near Warsaw.
Artur Tusinski, the mayor of Podkowa Lesna, said three children suffered from the poisoning. He denied media reports that the refuges picked and ate the mushrooms because they were given too little food at the center, saying they were provided with three meals a day.
A doctor at a hospital said two boys, aged 5 and 6, faced life-threatening situations while a 17-year-old girl was stable.
A spokesman for the Office for Foreigners said “in connection with this unfortunate accident, workers at the centers will sensitize Afghan citizens not to eat products of unknown origin.”
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