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The deceased on Thanksgiving day holding a boy. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Exclusive | Woman dies seven days after food poisoning from Dan Ryan’s Thanksgiving meal

Domestic helper found dead in bed week following Thanksgiving meal that sickened 50 customers

A woman has died after eating a Dan Ryan’s Thanksgiving meal at the centre of a growing food poisoning scare that health officials now say involves 50 victims.

Domestic helper Miguela Secolles, 42, was found dead in bed by her employer last Thursday – exactly seven days after she sat down to a traditional turkey meal at the American-style diner in Harbour City and three days after she was discharged from hospital following treatment for chronic diarrhoea and vomiting.

Health Department officials said the number of people affected had risen from 12 in the immediate aftermath of the meal to 50 and that the cause of Secolles’ death was under investigation.

On Monday night, Merritt Croker, the chief executive of Dan Ryan’s parent company, said the cause of Secolles’ death had not been established and that the company was offering support.

“We will do the right thing once the cause of death is established. Of course, we are supporting the family, like anyone else that has been affected, with regard to their medical expenses, the reimbursement of the meal and other support.

Secolles – a Philippine national who had worked for a family in Aberdeen for five months – was admitted to Queen Mary Hospital with food poisoning on November 28, four days after eating at Dan Ryan’s. She was released the next day and died three days later on December 1.

Police from Western District are investigating her death and will prepare a report for the Coroner’s Court.

In a statement on Monday, the Health Department said 50 people suffered from food poisoning and that a total of eight diners had required hospital treatment.

“We understand that the cause of death of the patient is still under investigation and the case would be referred to the Coroner’s Court,” the statement read.

A police spokesman said initial investigations revealed no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death. “A post-mortem examination has been conducted on the deceased and the autopsy report is pending,” he said.

Last week Dan Ryan’s said it believed bacteria that survived the cooking process in a batch of turkeys caused diners to fall ill at its Harbour City restaurant.

A letter Croker posted last week on Dan Ryan’s website read: “Over the 25-year history at this one Dan Ryan’s we have served millions of guests, and have never had a food incident that resulted in the sickness of multiple guests. All of us in the Dan Ryan’s family are heartbroken that this happened, we have reached out to take care of the guests that were affected, and will redouble our efforts to ensure such an event never happens again.”

Additional reporting by Clifford Lo

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Woman dies week after eating at Dan Ryan’s
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