Twelve people who died in Palpa last month were victims of poisoning caused by Amanita Mushrooms, experts said.

According to a report of biologists and botanists issued after visiting the site, the poisoning happened after consumption of a mixture of mushrooms collected in the local Katus-Chilaune (Castanopsis indica and Schima wallichii) forests in Tansen, headquarters of Palpa.

The forests at Tansen contained a large diversity of wild mushrooms including some very poisonous species of Amanita, they said.

After consuming poisonous mushrooms, twelve persons died and 40 others were hospitalized in Tansen Mission Hospital last month. Of the deceased, five were members of a family.

Amanita mushrooms are large ones with slender stipe and a cap with brown, green or reddish colours. The under surface of the cap is covered by white lamella and the whole mushroom is covered by a skin-like veil in the young stage which remains as a volva near the base of the mushroom when it matures, the report jointly prepared by Morten Christensen, Shiva Devkota and Sanjeeb Bhattarai said.

Christensen is a Biologist (Mycologist) and a PhD-student at the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Copenhagen, Denmark while Devkota is a botanist from Tribhuvan University and Bhattarai is a forester, ComForM project at the institute of forestry in Pokhara.

Recommending people not to consume mushrooms they cannot identify, the experts have also suggested people to immediately visit a doctor in case of illness after consuming mushrooms.

According to them, initial symptoms of an amanita poisoning are vomiting, diarrhea and headache often followed by some improvement in patient’s condition.