Seven People Arrested in Tashkent Region Over Mass Poisoning of Kindergarten Children

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Law enforcement authorities have arrested seven individuals in connection with the mass poisoning of children at kindergartens in Tashkent region.

Among those detained are three executives of a food company, whose products are suspected to have caused the incident. Earlier reports indicated that kefir produced by Shark Milk was under suspicion.

The other four detainees are executives of outsourcing companies that supplied food to the kindergartens. The criminal case has been transferred from the regional police department to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Nurmat Otabekov, a representative of the Committee for Sanitary, Epidemiological, and Public Health Welfare, stated that as of 27 September, nearly 700 children remain under treatment in hospitals, with only 13 in moderate condition. A total of 1,922 children were hospitalized with signs of poisoning, but 959 of them were later cleared of the diagnosis.

Currently, children are receiving medical care in seven hospitals across Tashkent region. The incident affected kindergartens in Almalyk, Nurafshan, Bekabad, Akkurgan, Bukin, Pskent, and Kuyichirchik districts.