Over 800 fell ill at theme park in Selangor, health department faces criticism for inaction
The victims, consisting of staff and their family members, experienced severe symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea and dehydration following the event on Oct 4.
SHAH ALAM – More than 800 people, including children and senior citizens, reportedly fell ill after attending a government agency’s family day event at a well-known theme park in Selangor last month.
According to local portal Scoop, the victims, consisting of staff and their family members, experienced severe symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea and dehydration following the event on Oct 4.
The incident has since triggered widespread concern, with growing criticism directed at the Selangor Health Department for failing to disclose its investigation findings or take immediate action to temporarily close the park.
The lack of transparency and urgency has raised questions about accountability and public safety in handling one of the state’s largest reported food poisoning outbreaks.
While the Selangor Health Department temporarily closed the park’s kitchen for two weeks, the park itself remained open; a move that has drawn widespread criticism.
Many questioned why the facility continued operating when the cause of the outbreak had yet to be confirmed.
According to sources, the first cases appeared within an hour after attendees consumed the meals served during the event.
“A large number of attendees began experiencing symptoms of food poisoning, including vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach cramps and dehydration, within an hour of consuming meals served during the event,” the source said.
Among the affected were children, senior citizens and individuals with special needs.
Several were reportedly hospitalised for severe dehydration and diarrhoea. The exact source of contamination remains unclear.
However, insiders revealed that investigators from the State Health Department have narrowed the cause down to “a few items served at lunch.”
Despite this, no tests were reportedly conducted on the water used in the pools and rides, raising concerns that the contamination could have spread beyond food.
“Samples from the meal, catered in-house, have been collected for testing and food handlers involved in the event were questioned, but no samples of the water were taken,” one source familiar with the investigation said.
The park’s kitchen was ordered closed from Oct 7 to 21 for cleaning and disinfection, but many argue that the entire park should have been shut down to ensure safety.
“The right protocol would have been to close the park to ensure that the water in the pools and rides was not contaminated,” said another source.
Meanwhile, it is understood that the affected government agency is preparing to take legal action against the theme park’s management and owners.
Adding to public outrage, the park’s management has reportedly made no significant outreach to the affected agency, nor offered compensation or medical assistance, despite the fact that the company which owns the park also owns a hospital.
Further checks revealed that this was not the first health-related incident at properties owned by the same company.
There have been previous reports of food poisoning at the park’s affiliated hotels and mall, though these were isolated cases and not on the same massive scale as the recent outbreak.
As of now, the Selangor Health Department has not issued an official statement regarding the findings of its investigation or addressed the growing criticism about its handling of the incident.
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