16 Young Athletes Hospitalized After Falling Ill at a Training Camp Near Tomaszów Lubelski

Sixteen young football camp participants were hospitalized in southeastern Poland on Tuesday following sudden gastrointestinal symptoms, though authorities emphasize that food poisoning is not yet definitively confirmed.

Incident at a Local Restaurant

The incident occurred on Tuesday, August 4, in Kolonia-Łaszczówka near Tomaszów Lubelski. According to the local portal infotomaszow.pl, 16 children were transported from a local restaurant where participants of a football camp from the Podkarpackie Voivodeship had arrived.

Vomiting and Diarrhea Among Camp Participants

Camp participants, mainly children aged 9 to 12, experienced digestive system ailments. The fire department, emergency medical teams, and an Air Ambulance helicopter were called to the scene. The helicopter was ultimately not needed, but 16 conscious individuals were transported to nearby hospitals in Tomaszów Lubelski, Zamość, and Biłgoraj.

Aspirant Małgorzata Pawłowska, press officer of the Poviat Police Headquarters in Tomaszów Lubelski, told gazeta.pl that 16 children remain in hospitals and their condition is stable and non-life-threatening. The initial and obvious suspicion was group food poisoning.

Investigation Into the Cause of Illness

Aspirant Pawłowska stated that authorities cannot state with 100 percent certainty that it was food poisoning, noting that the sanitary-epidemiological station has been informed. Tests will determine if there was actually something in the food that led to poisoning, while officials are also considering sunstroke as a potential cause behind symptoms like nausea and vomiting.