A 51-year old man has died after taking rice which was contaminated by tomato pesticides in Thyolo.

Limbe Police Deputy Publicist, Widson Nhlane, told Malawi News Agency on Monday that the incident occurred on January 4, this year (2019) when the deceased, Finiyasi Edward, left home for gardening.

“According to the deceased’s brother Isaac Chaima, Finiyasi was staying with his family at Tebulo Village in Traditional Authority Bvumbwe in the district.

“On this day, he left home for gardening at the said village with a container of rice for lunch but he didn’t return.

“This prompted the wife to make a follow up on the following morning. When she visited the place, she was surprised to see him lying dead few metres away from the garden,” said Nhlane.

The police officers from Bvumbwe visited the place and took the body to Thyolo Hospital for post-mortem.

“The medical practitioner established that he died due to food poisoning. The food was contaminated with pesticides which he was applying on his tomatoes,” he said.

Meanwhile, police are appealing to farmers to take precautionary safety measures when handling pesticides to avoid such incidences. Edward hailed from Jekete Village in Traditional Authority Mpama in Thyolo.