By Andrew Forgrave,James Holt

Copyright dailypost

A woman who was rushed to A&E has recalled how a family meal turned into a nightmare when diners fell ill after tucking into food at a restaurant.

A large emergency response, including police, paramedics and fire crews, attended the Dosa Kingss eaterie in Sale last Saturday (September 6). It followed reports that customers inside had suddenly become unwell.

A Greater Manchester Police investigation is now underway into the serious incident, which resulted in 11 people being examined by paramedics and two being hospitalised due to the severity of their reactions.

Emergency services arrived at the restaurant on Northenden Road, Sale, around 12.40pm. It’s understood several customers were treated inside the restaurant after falling ill.

According to police, individuals were treated at the scene for ‘minor reactions’. Two others were transported to hospital, reports the Manchester Evening News.

The newspaper understands the incident is related to food consumed at the South Indian street kitchen and bar. The North Wales Live Whatsapp community for top stories and breaking news is live now – here’s how to sign up

One line of enquiry being pursued is that yams could have been the cause of the diners’ illness. Some types of this root vegetable, believed to have been part of one of the dishes served off the Onam Sadhya set menu, contain toxins that can be harmful if undercooked. However, the exact cause has not yet been confirmed.

One diner, Amrita Kapadia, was with her young son and family to celebrate the annual meal at the restaurant and was amongst the customers served during the first sitting.

She said the Aviyal, which is a thick stew of mixed vegetables, was among the first to be prepared – and contained yams.

Amrita was one of the two customers rushed to A&E after she quickly started suffering from a burning throat and mouth, which left her feeling like she was ‘chewing glass’ and had been ‘stung by bees’ before she was left unable to speak during the ‘frightening’ ordeal.

“There were three sittings for a special event, a festival called the Onam festival,” she said

“Every year you have a sit down meal where you are served at the same time, which is why we all ate the same thing.

“We were sitting at the first time slot, and there was around 40 to 50 of us. Around ten minutes in we still hadn’t received all the food items, which is why its easier for us to identify what probably caused it.

“The table next to us started complaining that something was stinging or spicy in their mouths. The restaurant folks brought them water and, while that was going on, two of us at our table of five had the same dish at the same time, which was a mixed vegetable dish called Aviyal.

“As soon as we ate it, we had this stinging sensation in our mouths. It was like chewing glass, it was excruciating. It felt like I had been stung by bees it was just so painful.

“We couldn’t taste anything and our tongues went bizarre. The sensation travelled to our gums, cheek and throats.”

Fortunately, Amrita’s young son didn’t experience the same reaction. She instructed him to stop eating immediately before her condition rapidly deteriorated.

Diners at a neighbouring table, who had also raised concerns, then rang 999 for paramedics.

“I was panicking. It was really such a scary moment. Thankfully the table next to us had called for an ambulance because they were quite worried with the symptoms.

“By that time, other tables had also started complaining. The ambulance came and saw the first patient, but by then then mine was worse. I became dizzy and my heart rate was 130bpm.

“I couldn’t talk. It felt paralysis. My mouth was swollen and blocking my airways. I was given a shot of adrenaline but the swelling didn’t go down, so the paramedics gave me a second, and to further investigate said I needed to go to AandE for them to check my bloods.”

Amrita, from Withington, stayed in hospital for four hours before being discharged. It took some four days for her symptoms to fully subside, and she received a form from Trafford Council to complete detailing what each member of the party had consumed.

“It was such a scary moment, I won’t deny it,” she said. “We aren’t certain until we get the results, but the yams seem the most probable.”

Investigations into the incident are ongoing, with police managing the area for several hours.

Images from the scene shared on social media depicted a substantial response by emergency services.

Northenden Road was temporarily closed as police, fire crews and paramedics attended the scene. Initial fears of a gas leak were swiftly dismissed during the investigation.

A spokesperson for GMP stated: “At around 12.40pm today (6 September), we received a report of people becoming unwell at a restaurant on Northenden Road, Sale.

“Emergency services quickly attended and several people were treated at the scene for minor reactions. Enquiries into the incident are currently ongoing.”

The Manchester Evening News has attempted to contact Dosa Kingss for comment multiple times. The restaurant has not responded, but posted a brief statement on its Instagram and Facebook pages, which read: “Dear valued customers, due to unforeseen circumstances, we are temporarily closed.

“We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and truly appreciate your understanding and support. We look forward to serving you again.” Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox

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