Negros farmer, 6 kids downed by mushrooms

BACOLOD CITY — A farmer and his six children in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental were hospitalized Saturday reportedly after dining on poisonous mushrooms.

Dionisio Cabu-al, 45, and six of his children—Diony, 19; Jinky, 14; Charie, 12; Margielyn, 10; Jonas, 5; and Dailyn, 3—of sitio Mag-aso, barangay Orong, Kabankalan City were hospitalized at the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City due to suspected black mushroom poisoning, dyEZ Aksyon Radyo-Bacolod reported Sunday.

Cabu-al told dyEZ he harvested the mushrooms, which he described as having black caps and brownish stems, from his farm in sitio Mag-aso. He said he squeezed the mushrooms in salt and made soup from them which they ate for breakfast Saturday morning.

However, Dionisio said he felt dizzy then “saw the sun turn green.”  His children also experienced the same vision and felt thirsty.

Cabu-al said that the leftover mushroom appeared to be “jumping.”

To counter the effects of the poison, Cabu-al said he and his children ate sugar and drank an infusion made from jackfruit leaves, but they grew weaker. His wife, who had not eaten the mushroom soup, was able to seek help.  /INQUIRER