Mystery Powder in Noodle Soup Hospitalises 13 in Udon Thani

The Incident Strikes a Familiar Noodle Shop in Muang District

Udon Thani Provincial Public Health Office officials and Royal Thai Police forensic teams visited a roadside noodle restaurant in Muang district earlier this week after 13 people fell ill from eating noodle soup prepared there.

The shop, run for six to seven years by 70-year-old Pan, serves the kind of simple Isaan-style broth that draws local construction workers, families and neighbours each morning in northeastern Thailand.

Victims experienced nausea, vomiting, dizziness, breathing difficulties and diarrhoea after consuming the soup on 8 June, with six people still receiving hospital care the following day.

Pan’s Account of the White Powder

Pan told investigators she had run out of salt on the morning of 8 June and used two small bags of white powder brought several days earlier by her 46-year-old son Sinchu.

She tasted the powder, found it salty, and added it to the broth, later sampling the finished soup herself before customers arrived.

Within a short time Pan felt numbness around her lips, followed by dizziness and diarrhoea, prompting her to seek medical treatment at a local hospital.

She broke down while speaking with reporters, noting that her family also ate the noodles and that no similar problem had occurred in her years of operating the business.

The Relative and the Owner’s Daughter

A relative who helped at the shop also tasted the broth before serving customers and later suffered severe vomiting and diarrhoea.

Pan’s daughter became seriously ill, experiencing convulsions and temporary vision loss, and was taken to hospital by rescue workers.

Both the vendor and her daughter were among those affected, underscoring how the meal was shared within the family before reaching the wider community.

Sinchu’s Role and the Source of the Powder

Sinchu admitted to police that he obtained the powder from a local man identified only as “A” and believed it was salt suitable for cooking.

Investigators accompanied Sinchu to the man’s home, where large quantities of discarded materials collected for resale were stored.

The man told officers he regularly gathers unwanted items from rubbish dumps and roadside waste for recycling and had warned Sinchu not to take the bags because they came from a rubbish pile and were not clean.

Forensic officers seized three bags containing white powder from the property for laboratory examination.

A Construction Worker’s Critical Condition

On 9 June the father of a 35-year-old construction worker filed a police report after his son was admitted to intensive care at Udon Thani Hospital.

The son developed stomach pain, breathing difficulties, tremors and a rapid heartbeat shortly after eating noodle soup at the restaurant and was placed on a ventilator.

Doctors later informed the family that the man was no longer in critical condition but would remain under observation for several days.

The father stated that food should be prepared safely and hygienically, reflecting concerns shared by many families who rely on roadside vendors in the Isaan region.

Why This Matters for Thai Street Food Culture

Street-side noodle shops form the backbone of daily life across Udon Thani and neighbouring provinces, where residents trust vendors who have operated for years in their neighbourhoods.

When an incident like this occurs, it touches the quiet trust that allows communities to share meals without fear, a trust built over generations in markets from Muang district to the wider Isaan countryside.

Provincial public health officials collected food samples, ingredients and other evidence from the shop, with results from forensic and laboratory testing still pending as the investigation continues.

The case highlights the need for clear sourcing practices in small family businesses that serve the same broth to both their own households and their neighbours each day.