GEORGE TOWN, Feb 1 ― Two security guards working at a commercial building on Pulau Tikus experienced extreme fatigue and weakness before falling unconscious after drinking pre-mixed coffee on Tuesday.
The Nepali nationals claimed a woman colleague working at the same premises gave the pre-mixed coffee sachets to them.
Sapkota Mangal Prasad, 45, said he and his friend Bishnu Shrestna, 41, had previously never tried the durian flavour four-in-one pre-mixed coffee and did so after receiving them at 9.30am on Tuesday.
“I became nauseous, had a headache and my body became very hot less than five minutes after drinking the coffee.
“I was also convulsing as if I was having a fit before I lost consciousness and only regained consciousness when treated at the Penang Hospital (HPP),” he told reporters after receiving a visit from the Nepal consul-general, Datuk Huan Cheng Guan at HPP here today.
Meanwhile, Huan said he was told that the duo were getting better and were expected to be discharged soon and hoped the Health Ministry would investigate to find out if banned substances were in the coffee mix.
A Bernama check in George Town found supermarkets were no longer stocking the coffee after the incident viralled on Facebook
In the meantime, Penang Health Department (JKN) director Dr Wan Mansor Hamzah said five people including two women were also warded at HPP after drinking the coffee mix from Sunday to Tuesday.
He said the five, aged 19 to 62 years, underwent treatments, observations and tests but three were released after they recovered.
He said tests on the patients and the coffee samples were still going on and JKN would make an announcement upon obtaining the results. ― Bernama
