'I've never been in such pain'

Sharjah: Khadeeja started vomiting at about 2am and five hours later she was dead.

Doctors said the three-year-old-girl died of suspected food poisoning.

Police are investigating the death of Khadeeja, who along with her family allegedly last ate food from a restaurant. Her parents and three siblings are still in serious condition in Al Qasimi Hospital.

A police official told Gulf News that Khadeeja and her family were brought to the hospital at about 4am in very serious condition.

Last meal

Mizan Al Rahman, 40, from Bangladesh, his wife Salma, 32, and children Fatima, 6, Khadeeja, 3, Aisha, 4, and Salman, 1, were vomiting and suffering from severe pain.

Doctors at the hospital said they were taken to the intensive care unit, but Khadeeja died of suspected food poisoning at 7am. Al Rahman and his wife were not told of their daughter's death immediately.

Al Rahman said on Friday night after Isha prayer he bought food for dinner from Pak Ghazi restaurant on Bank Street in Sharjah.

"I bought meat kebabs, fried brain and biryani and took my four children and wife to Khalid lagoon to have dinner there," he said.

"We ate the food and went home late at night. We hadn't eaten anything together apart from the food I bought from the restaurant.

"We went to bed and at around 2am our little daughter Khadeeja started throwing up. She lost consciousness and soon all of us began vomiting. We were in pain and none of us could even raise our heads. I felt excrutiating pain in my stomach ... I have never been in so much pain ever," he said.

Al Rahman said he contacted a friend who took them to hospital. Ghulam Al Deen said he went to their house and found them all lying unconscious on the floor.

Police told Gulf News that when the family reached the hospital doctors gave them all a stomach wash.

A police officer said: "I tried for several hours to contact Sharjah Municipality's emergency department, but no one responded to us until they came to know that one of the patients had passed away."

Report issued

The officer claimed that municipality inspectors came, but queried whether anyone could confirm that the family had taken ill after eating food from Pak Ghazi restaurant.

Rashid Mahmoud, manager of Pak Ghazi restaurant and son of the owner, said municipality inspectors issued their report at 9am yesterday, which said the family did not fall ill because of food from their restaurant but may have eaten elsewhere.

Gulf News tried to contact the municipality but no one was available for comment.