KOCHI: A 24-year-old man, who was in critical condition after a suspicion of food poisoning after having shawarma passed away at a private hospital in Kochi on Wednesday.
The deceased, Rahul Nair, a native of Pala, had complained of health issues after consuming shawarma from Le Hyatt, a restaurant in Mavelipuram, Kakkanad, on October 18, and was admitted to the hospital on October 20.
The hotel was closed down by the health wing of Thrikkakara municipality on October 22 after the family lodged a complaint about food poisoning at the nearby Thrikkakara police station.
"The death of the patient due to food poisoning can only be confirmed after a postmortem report. The blood samples of Rahul have been sent to a multi-speciality hospital for further confirmation of food poisoning and are yet to be received," said a spokesperson for Sunrise Hospital, where the deceased was undergoing treatment. He was kept on ventilator support at the hospital for the last couple of days.
According to Rahul's relatives his health worsened after he had consumed shawarma ordered from Le Hayath Hotel in Kakkanad via an online food delivery app on October 18.
Meanwhile, Thrikkakara police have registered a case against a restaurant owner after the incident. Food safety officials have inspected the eatery. "As per the report, the youth consumed shawarma on October 18. However, he was admitted to the hospital on October 20. No other complaints of food poisoning have been filed by the eatery that consumed shawarma on that day, making it difficult to list this incident as food poisoning. We have sent the samples collected from the eatery for testing and are waiting for the result," an official with the food safety department said.