An old man who died on Saturday was one of some 50 people who suffered food poisoning after a small wedding in Pursat province on December 21.

Dozens of people were sent to Bakan district hospital on Thursday and seven in a serious condition to Phnom Penh following consumption of soda drinks and lok lak.

Nhem Nhean, Bakan district deputy police chief, said 42 victims have now recovered, but that the source of contamination remained undetermined.

“They said that they got sick from cola but the following day, the medic team said the cola was not poisonous,” he said.

Director of Bakan District Referral Hospital, Keo Sanphalbon, said that victims were suffering symptoms including difficulty breathing, vomiting and bloody urination.

“The pork dish was mixed with too much colorant, which made it unusually bitter,” he said, adding that the man died after refusing to seek immediate medical treatment.

The director of Pursat’s Health Department, Khoy Dy, said officials from the Ministry of Health were inspecting soda and food samples, but that results had not yet been confirmed.