Police are investigating the sudden death of a three-year-old boy and the hospitalization of four other family members after consuming cooked cassava suspected to have been poisoned in Mdeka, Blantyre.

After eating the cassava, the children complained of stomach pains and later started vomiting.

The children were rushed to a nearby clinic, where the little child was pronounced dead upon arrival, while the others were being treated at Mdeka Health Centre.

Chileka police publicist, Sergeant Jonathan Phillipo, stated that the mother of the children, Bernadetta Magombo, 32, reported the matter to the police.

She suspects that her 14-year-old daughter, who cooked the cassava, left the pot unattended during the cooking process.