Central Sulawesi. A total of 277 students from various education levels in Banggai Islands Regency, Central Sulawesi, were suspected of suffering from mass food poisoning on Wednesday. Reports stated that hundreds of students experienced nausea, dizziness, and vomiting after consuming their lunch.

Banggai Islands Police Chief, Ronaldus Karurukan, explained that his team immediately went to the hospital to obtain information from medical staff and students’ parents. In addition to focusing on handling the victims, the police also began an initial investigation.

Officers have questioned members of the nutrition service unit, secured food samples, and sealed the catering site with police lines. The samples have been sent to the regional Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) in Palu for laboratory testing.

“We will coordinate with BPOM so the food samples can be tested immediately in the laboratory,” said Police Commissioner Ronaldus on Thursday.

Preliminary data reported that on Thursday, 277 students were affected by suspected allergic reactions after consuming meals from the Free Nutritious Meal Program. The affected schools included Tompudau Elementary School, Tinangkung Junior High School, Tinangkung Senior High School, Tinangkung Vocational School, and Pembina Salakan Elementary School.

Out of that number, 32 students are still receiving treatment at Trikora Hospital, while 245 others have been allowed to return home but remain under the supervision of healthcare workers.

Ronaldus emphasized that the investigation will continue while waiting for the lab results. “We will monitor this until it is resolved, both regarding the students’ health and the investigation into the exact cause of this incident,” he explained.

Meanwhile, the National Nutrition Agency immediately deployed a team to the field to monitor the latest conditions related to the suspected food poisoning from the Free Nutritious Meal Program in Tinangkung District, Banggai Islands Regency, Central Sulawesi.

Head of the Salakan Nutrition Service Unit, Erick Alfa Handika Sangule, revealed that the initial suspected cause of the incident came from the fried tuna with sauce menu. Food samples have also been prepared for testing at the BPOM office in Palu.

“The possible cause of the problem is suspected to be the fried tuna with sauce. The food samples suspected to have caused the poisoning are being prepared for laboratory testing,” said Erick on Thursday.

Currently, the distribution of the Free Nutritious Meal Program in Banggai Islands Regency has been temporarily suspended until the investigation is completed.

As a precautionary measure, the local government, together with the Indonesian Red Cross, the Regional Disaster Management Agency, and Salakan Health Center, has set up emergency care tents to support healthcare services for the students.