There is a total of 11 cases of food poisoning, officials at the Phong Tho District General Hospital and Lai Chau Province General Hospital told reporters, all having occurred in the Ta Chai Hamlet.
A possibility exists for more deaths as some of the five patients hospitalized are in critical condition.
The exact cause of how the food was contaminated is still under investigation, but all the patients reported the same symptoms of headache, dizziness, nausea after consuming food at a funeral service, said the officials.
Major Lo Van Nguyet, deputy head of Si Lo Lau border guard in the Phong Tho District said the funeral transpired three days earlier. Most of the casualties are Ha Nhi ethnic minorities.
