Egypt: Nearly 500 university students are hit with food poisoning, authorities order a probe

CAIRO – A senior Egyptian health ministry official says nearly 500 students from Cairo’s Al-Azhar university have been admitted to hospital with food poisoning.

The official, Khaled el-Khateib, said Tuesday that all 479 food poisoning cases came from the university’s dormitories in Cairo’s Nasr City district. The poisonings occurred after a meal served at the dormitories on Monday.

Al-Azhar students plan a protest outside the university’s offices later on Tuesday. On Monday, hundreds of students angered by the demonstrated outside the residence halls, blocking roads and chanting slogans against the university’s management.

The university belongs to Al-Azhar mosque, the world’s foremost seat of Sunni Islam learning. Beside religious studies, the university awards degrees in sciences and humanities.

Egypt’s top prosecutor on Tuesday ordered an investigation into the case.

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