11 family members fall ill after consuming toxic mushrooms in Pennsylvania, authorities say
Eleven people, including a 1-year-old, in Pennsylvania fell ill after eating toxic mushrooms, authorities said.
Delta-Cardiff Volunteer Fire Company Station 57, in a post on Facebook Friday night, said it "was alerted to assist multiple EMS units with a mass casualty incident" around 9:37 p.m. Friday in Peach Bottom Township, about 85 miles from Philadelphia.
"Units were advised that 11 people had ingested toxic mushrooms and were all ill," the post said, adding "pediatric and adult" patients were transported to the hospital and the scene was cleared "in just over an hour."
A spokesperson for the WellSpan York Hospital told USA TODAY on Monday that 11 patients were treated for mushroom ingestion Friday night and released in the overnight hours and by 8 a.m. Saturday.
Victims aged between 1 and 39
The Pennsylvania State Police, meanwhile, did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for an update on the incident.
The 11 people who got ill were aged between 1 and 39 and included a man, a woman and nine of their children, a spokesperson for the Delta-Cardiff Volunteer Fire Company Gregory Fantom told CNN.
Ten of the 11 patients were found at home, the Delta-Cardiff Fire Company told CBS 21, while the remaining patient, also a member of the Amish family that consumed the wild mushrooms, was found at a phone booth half a mile down the road where he had gone to call 911. Firefighters picked up the caller, who said he and 10 others got fell ill after eating wild mushrooms they found in the woods for dinner.
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.