Belthangady: Father, son die after consuming poisonous wild mushrooms
Belthangady: A father and a son died at their house in Palladapalke in Paduvettu in the taluk, allegedly after accidentally consuming toxic wild mushrooms.
The bodies of the duo – Guruva, 80, and his son Odiyappa, 41 – were found in the yard of a residence on Tuesday morning.
Guruva and his sons Odiyappa and Karta lived in the house in poverty, said sources.
Odiyappa is learned to have cooked a dish of mushroom that they had picked in the nearby forest. Meanwhile, Karta went to town shopping and did not return for the night. When he returned in the morning on Tuesday, however, he saw his father and brother lying dead in the house yard.
Dharmasthala Police have been informed of the matter. The officials visited the spot immediately and investigated. A case has been registered by them, sources said.
Guruva and Odiyappa seemed to have rolled on the ground andalso vomited, urinated and defecated while dying, sources added. They did not have neighbours close by, to rush to their aid. Also, since Odiyappa, who was mentally challenged, shouted often, people who possibly heard their shouts seemed to have ignored their calls for help.
On finding the mushroom dish in the house, it is currently assumed that consumption of the toxic mushroom led to the death of the duo.
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
