The father died within 30 minutes; his wife succumbed shortly after at the hospital
Their five children, who also ate the meal, remain under intensive medical care and are reportedly in stable condition.
Dubai: A late-night family meal ended in tragedy in Baghdad last week after an Iraqi couple died and their five children were hospitalised with suspected food poisoning.
According to Iraqi media reports, Mohammed Al Faytar brought home several shawarma meals containing chicken and beef on Tuesday evening in the Al Nairiyah district of Baghdad.
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Less than 30 minutes after consuming the food, he collapsed and died at home. His wife was rushed to the hospital but succumbed shortly afterward, despite emergency efforts to save her through gastric lavage.
Their five children, who also ate the meal, remain under intensive medical care and are reportedly in stable condition.
The case has captured widespread public attention across Iraq, with social media flooded with expressions of sympathy, concern, and speculation. What has puzzled many is that the restaurant suspected of serving the contaminated food remains open and, according to reports, no other cases of food poisoning were reported that day.
Iraqi authorities have launched an investigation and have reportedly summoned the restaurant owner for questioning, according to Iraqi news outlet Rudaw.
However, no official statement or medical report has yet been released to confirm the exact cause of death.
The lack of clarity has fueled public anxiety, with some citizens calling for a temporary boycott of shawarma restaurants in Baghdad and other Iraqi cities until the investigation concludes. Others have urged restraint, warning against prematurely assigning blame without conclusive evidence.
Neighbors and relatives of the family have pointed to the restaurant’s proximity to the victims’ home and the timeline of the incident as strong indicators of food contamination. However, others note that the absence of similar poisoning cases from the same establishment raises questions about whether the deaths were caused by other, unknown factors.
