What Caused the Poisoning of Children at the Kindergarten? Circumstances of the Incident are Being Investigated

In Artashat, a criminal case has been initiated regarding the apparent food poisoning of more than ten children, with investigations underway to ascertain the circumstances of the incident. This was reported by Gor Abrahamyan, the spokesperson for the Head of the Investigation Committee of Armenia, on his Facebook page.

“We received a report from the police stating that on May 18, 2023, several pupils from the Number 4 kindergarten in Artashat were transferred to the Artashat Medical Center in a poisoned condition. That same evening, the Artashat Medical Center also reported that a total of 14 children were admitted with a diagnosis of food poisoning,” he mentioned.

It was revealed that the children began to be transported to medical facilities primarily starting from 3:30 PM on the same day, after returning home from kindergarten. Based on the incident, on May 19, a criminal case was initiated in the Ararat regional investigative department of the Investigation Committee of Armenia under the characteristics of the first point of the second part of Article 412 of the Criminal Code of Armenia. A preliminary investigation is being conducted to determine the circumstances of the incident, the causes, nature, and method of the children's poisoning,” Abrahamyan stated.

He also noted that samples of food and water have been taken from the Number 4 kindergarten in Artashat, along with documentation related to food delivery and storage logs. A complex examination has been appointed, including forensic, forensic-chemical, and forensic-medical analyses,” Abrahamyan added, emphasizing that the condition of the children transferred to the hospital is reported to be satisfactory, with some already discharged from the medical facility.

It is worth mentioning that the Ministry of Health of Armenia has confirmed that two of the children hospitalized due to food poisoning have been discharged.