Is the 'Bonghwa Pesticide Incident' Being Unraveled? 3 of 5 Critical Patients Regain Consciousness

One Person Improved to a Conversational State

Among the five victims receiving treatment at the hospital due to pesticide poisoning in Bonghwa-gun on the hottest days of summer, the condition of three has reportedly improved, drawing attention to whether clues related to the incident can be found.

Naeseong 4-ri Community Center. [Photo by Yonhap News]

On the 21st, the Gyeongbuk police reported that A, in their 60s, and B and C, in their 70s, who had ingested insecticide at a women's senior center in Bonghwa-eup, Bonghwa-gun, Gyeongbuk, and were receiving treatment at the hospital, regained consciousness. Among them, C is currently reported to be able to hold conversations. However, due to concerns about the victims' health and the need for guardian consent, a full-scale investigation has not yet begun. The investigation team is focusing its efforts on the coffee the victims drank after their meal, considering it the most important key to unraveling the case.

In addition, D, in their 60s, who experienced cardiac arrest on the day of the incident, and E, in their 80s, who was transferred to Andong Hospital on the 18th and showed cardiac arrest symptoms, are still in a state of reduced consciousness.

Earlier, on the 15th, residents of Naeseong 4-ri in Bonghwa-eup celebrated the first of the three hottest days of summer by eating duck meat at a restaurant and then moved to the senior center to drink coffee. Among them, five residents aged 60 to 80 showed symptoms of pesticide poisoning and are receiving treatment at Andong Hospital. Three showed symptoms on the day, one on the next day, and one on the third day. Two insecticide components, Etofenprox and Terbufos, were detected in their bodies. The police secured witness statements indicating that "four of the five victims shared coffee at the senior center on the day of the incident, while the remaining one did not drink coffee with them." The investigation team is giving weight to the possibility that someone deliberately put poison in the coffee, similar to the 'Pesticide Cider' case that occurred in Sangju in 2015.