Local authorities in Abu Dhabi on Sunday denied media reports of death and hospitalisation of workers from a private company accommodation in Ruwais due to food poisoning over the weekend.

A section of the media had reported on Sunday that the death and hospitalisation of workers were caused by food poisoning at a private company accommodation mess in Ruwais, about 240km from Abu Dhabi city in the Western Region.

Dr Jamal Al Ka’abi, Director of Customer Care and Corporate Communications at the Health Authority-Abu Dhabi (HAAD), however, confirmed that 19 workers were admitted to Ghiyathi Hospital and one at Ruwais Hospital with symptoms of abdominal pain, dizziness and weakness.

He reported that all the patients suffered from mild symptoms and were released by the end of the day, confirming that none of the cases was linked to food poisoning at this stage. Al Ka’abi added: “No death case is reported due to food poisoning related to this incident. We are closely following the cases and coordinating with the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA) for investigations.”

In a statement on Sunday, the ADFCA Director of Communication and Community Service, Mohammed Jalal Al Reyaysa, advised public not to fall prey to rumours unless such reports are confirmed through authorised official channels.

He said: “Investigations into the matter have been initiated and we will be able to either confirm or deny food poisoning only after the investigations have been completed... On receiving the request, ADFCA inspectors investigate the case and collect samples of the food that caused the poisoning and take necessary measures to test them in our laboratories.”

When contacted, a senior official of Dubai-based System Construct, where these workers are employed, also denied food poisoning or riots as reported in the company workers’ accommodation.

“There were no deaths or injuries caused by food poisoning at the accommodation site. The actual fact is that two workers had died of heart attack and some other workers thought it was due to food poisoning and rushed to the hospital. We have the full medical report from the hospital to confirm this,” Fadi, assistant HR manager, told Khaleej Times.

He also denied reports of workers going violent damaging company property. “The medical reports of two workers confirm they died of heart attack, and not by food poisoning. However, 30 workers, believing the two died of food poisoning, rushed to the nearby hospital to seek treatment as a preventive measure.

After diagnosis, doctors found no traces of food poisoning and released the 30 workers who returned to their accommodation,” Fadi explained.