Manila: More than 240 people were brought to hospitals in the Philippine capital on Wednesday with suspected food poisoning in an event celebrating the 90th birthday of former first lady Imelda Marcos. Bryant Wong, a disaster-response officer, said dozens of ambulances transported at least 244 people who either vomited or grew dizzy hours after eating a breakfast of chicken stew with egg and rice and drinking water in a sports centre in Pasig city. Food and Drug Administration personnel took samples of the food to check if it caused the apparent poisoning.

The incident cut short what was supposed to be a daylong celebration by over 2,000 Marcos followers, Wong said.