SYDNEY: Australian police arrested a woman early on Thursday in connection with the deaths of three people in August in a suspected mushroom poisoning, reported German news agency (dpa).
Four people were taken to hospital on July 30 when they became ill after eating a meal at a home near Melbourne, in the state of Victoria. Two women, aged 66 and 70, died in hospital on Aug 4, while a 70-year-old man died on Aug 5.
A second man was taken to hospital in critical condition and was only released on Sept 23.
Police said the woman 49-year-old woman was arrested at her home in Leongatha, near Melbourne, on Thursday morning and would be interviewed in relation to the incident.
“The investigation remains ongoing,“ Victoria Police said in a statement.
In April, Victoria’s Department of Health released an advisory warning people that poisonous mushrooms, including Death Cap mushrooms and Yellow-staining mushrooms, were growing in the state.
“Unless you are an expert, do not pick and eat wild mushrooms in Victoria,“ the department warned.-Bernama-dpa
