Officials are investigating a noodle shop in Udon Thani Province after 13 customers became ill with food poisoning, suspected to be caused by a mysterious ingredient resembling salt at the shop.
At 11:00 a.m. on 9 June 2026, Pol. Col. Santirak Mongkolnam, head of forensic science at Udon Thani Provincial Police, Pol. Lt. Col. Pichet Pakkaethat, deputy chief of investigation at Mueang Udon Thani Police Station, Pol. Lt. Col. Natthakan Wannapan, deputy chief of inquiry at Mueang Udon Thani Police Station, forensic officers, and investigation police from Mueang Udon Thani Police jointly inspected a noodle shop in Nong Bua Subdistrict, Mueang District, Udon Thani.
This follows an incident at noon on 8 June 2026, when the shop owner's daughter and 12 other noodle customers suffered food poisoning and were taken to Udon Thani Hospital; six remain hospitalized.
All exhibited symptoms including nausea, vomiting, dizziness, difficulty breathing, and diarrhea. Those affected include: 1. Mr. Pornchai, 30 years old; 2. Mrs. Supranee, 52 (shop owner's daughter); 3. Mrs. Sinuan, 49; and 4. Mr. Sarawut, 35, who was severely ill and required close medical attention.
Others affected were 5. Mr. Thawatchai, 33; 6. Mr. Apichai, 30; 7. Mr. Thanwa, 17; 8. Mrs. Noknoi Jamsaidee, 87; 9. Ms. Wiyada (smoothie vendor); 10. Mrs. Pun (noodle soup cook); 11. Ms. Boonliang; 12. Ms. Pannikarn (shop owner's niece-in-law); and 13. Mr. Methin.
The Udon Thani Public Health Office has conducted a field epidemiological investigation, identifying affected individuals, collecting food and ingredient samples, and sending them for laboratory testing to determine the cause of illness. Results are still pending.
Mrs. Pun, 70, the shop owner and noodle soup cook, and Mrs. Boonliang, 55, a relative and noodle vendor family member, are awaiting police questioning. The premises include the noodle shop, a made-to-order food stall, a smoothie stand, and surrounding areas.
Mrs. Pun recounted that she has sold noodles for six to seven years and recently also sold durian. She prepared the soup in advance to sell durian at Thaisiri Market, leaving Mrs. Boonliang to sell noodles at the shop. On the incident day, her supply of salt ran out, so she used salt her son had brought home three to four days earlier. Visually, the salt appeared old with a slight yellow tint. She tasted it, found it salty, and assumed it was regular salt, so she used it as a seasoning as usual.
After cooking, she tasted the soup twice with a spoon. Shortly after, she felt numbness on her lips which worsened, then dizziness. She rested and had two bowel movements, then took medication before seeing a doctor and resting again. The public health authorities have since confiscated all the salt suspected as the cause.
“I feel very sorry this happened. In all my years selling noodles, nothing like this has occurred. Before using the salt bag my son brought, I tasted it and it was salty. If it was poison, it would be like wiping out the whole family, because not only customers ate the noodles but also my family. I’m very saddened by this incident.” Mrs. Pun spoke through tears.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Boonliang, 55, a noodle vendor, said about ten customers visited the shop, mostly ordering made-to-order dishes, with only three servings of noodles sold. Before serving, she tasted the soup two to three times. After some time, she began to vomit violently and had two episodes of diarrhea. She took medication and felt better. Her symptoms were less severe likely because she ate less and vomited a lot. The shop owner's daughter, who was already unwell, ate noodles, then experienced seizures, vision loss, fatigue, and drowsiness. They kept her awake and called emergency services to take her to the hospital.
“We don’t know what caused this, whether it was the salt or something else. We have cooperated fully with the authorities who are investigating. We are just small vendors and never intended for this to happen. We didn’t know. We are poor and just trying to make a living. My sister is still in ICU.”
Mr. Sinchu, 46, the son who hurried back from a construction site to meet officials, smelled of alcohol. He admitted bringing two small bags of salt to his mother, obtained from a man named "Nai Chian" who lives at the end of the alley. He thought it was just salt to use in the noodle soup, without suspecting anything else. He then took officials to Nai Chian’s house, where an area in front of the house is used to store scrap items for resale, some packed in large bags and loaded onto a motorized tricycle ready for sale.
Later, Nai Chian met with officials to hear why they came to question him. He explained he lives alone and retired from temple work after the abbot passed away. In his free time, he collects unwanted scrap items discarded by villagers from inside and outside trash bins, brings them home to accumulate, and sells them when enough is collected. Mr. Sinchu visits often, bringing him food and usable clothes and shoes. Regarding the salt bags, he said he never gave them to anyone and warned not to take them because they were collected from trash and were unclean. However, two bags were secretly taken anyway.
Pol. Col. Santirak Mongkolnam and Pol. Lt. Col. Pichet Pakkaethat seized three bags containing white material, one of which Nai Chian said was collected the same day as the two bags Mr. Sinchu took without permission. These will be sent for forensic examination. Meanwhile, results from the Udon Thani Public Health Office’s samples taken from the noodle shop are being analyzed by the Department of Medical Sciences. Mrs. Pun, Mrs. Boonliang, Mr. Sinchu, and Nai Chian have been asked to meet investigators to give statements.
At 12:00 p.m. on 9 June 2026, Mr. Suriya, 60, from Nong Khon Kwang Subdistrict, Mueang District, Udon Thani, filed a complaint with Pol. Lt. Col. Nachaphat Kongsupol, deputy investigator at Mueang Udon Thani Police Station, stating that his son, Mr. Sarawut, 35, who ate noodles at the said shop, developed severe abdominal pain, pale complexion, and difficulty breathing. He took him to Nong Khon Kwang Subdistrict Health Promoting Hospital and then referred him to Udon Thani Central Hospital, where he is in the intensive care unit.
Mr. Suriya said his son works with him in construction. Around noon the previous day, his son ate noodles at the shop then rested at the work site. Later, he experienced nausea, dizziness, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, and trembling. He tried cooling him with a fan but symptoms worsened, so he drove him to the hospital in their pickup truck.
“Halfway there, my son’s eyes rolled back and his hands clenched. I pried his hands and mouth open; he was close to dying. We stopped at Nong Khon Kwang Health Center and called for emergency rescue from Udon Thani Central Hospital, but his condition didn’t improve and he nearly died en route. We then went to Bangkok Hospital for emergency care. After slight improvement, he was transferred to Udon Thani Hospital and intubated. He is conscious but unable to speak, though he responds by nodding. Doctors said he is out of danger but will monitor him for three days and keep him hospitalized for a week. I want to urge the noodle shop to maintain proper hygiene and take responsibility for what happened.”