Milk suspected in students' poisoning

KULONPROGO, Yogyakarta: Sixty-seven students of state elementary school Nanggulan I in Kulonprogo regency were rushed to the hospital on Friday for suspected food poisoning after drinking milk provided by PT Ultra Jaya.

Some 20 of were still hospitalized as of Friday evening due to their weakened state.

Muhammad Ali, a victim, said he and his classmates drank the donated milk after taking part in a ceremony to commemorate Pancasila Sanctity Day.

The milk tasted a bit sour and bitter and looked slightly red, he added. "But I finished drinking it and afterward, I got a stomachache. My friends who also drank the milk got sick, too."

Sri Handayani, a teacher, said the incident happened at about 8:30 a.m. after the ceremony, which was attended by 169 students.

"Some students drank their milk quickly and 30 minutes later, they got headaches and vomited. So we prohibited others from consuming it," she told The Jakarta Post. -- JP