Lá ngón ( Gelsemium elegans), rampant in the northern mountainous regions, is the most poisonous plant in Việt Nam as only three leaves are enough to kill a healthy man in less than an hour. — Photo vietnamplus.vn

HÀ GIANG — Three people have died and two others are in hospital in the northern province of Hà Giang after mistakenly eating a soup containing ngón poisonous leaves on Sunday.

It was reported that the five women in Linh Hồ Commune, Vị Xuyên District had the soup for breakfast made from forest plants without knowing that there was ngón leaves among them.

After drinking the soup, they all became sick and lost feelings in their hands and mouths. They called their relatives to take them to the district’s general hospital.

Director of the hospital Bùi Văn Toán confirmed they all suffered poisoning due to the leaves.

Bodies of three dead women, aged 53, 58 and 49, were handed to their families while the two surviving victims were transferred to the province’s hospital for further treatment.

According to the Hà Giang Province’s General Hospital, the two patients are now conscious, can communicate well but still are still being monitored.

Lá ngón (gelsemium elegans) is rampant in the northern mountainous regions. It is the most poisonous plant in Việt Nam as only three leaves are enough to kill a healthy man in less than an hour. The alkaloids in the plant cause respiratory failure and circulatory collapse.

Ngón plants look like many edible vegetables and usually grow next to the edible plants, so people easily pick it by mistake. —VNS