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Straits Times
11 hours ago
- Straits Times
Sweet-smelling fungi with sinister name at centre of Australia's mushroom murders
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox A death cap mushroom is easily mistaken for other edible varieties, and has a pleasant taste when used in cooking. SYDNEY – An innocuous-looking mushroom with a sweet smell and a sinister name lay at the centre of Australian Erin Patterson's triple-murder conviction on July 7. Patterson was found guilty of killing her husband's parents and aunt in 2023, and attempting to kill a fourth guest, by lacing their beef Wellington lunch with highly toxic death cap mushrooms. The 50-year-old denied the accusations, saying the hearty meal was contaminated by accident . Throughout a headline-grabbing trial spanning more than two months, experts have dissected the brown-and-white fungi in forensic detail. Death caps – or Amanita phalloides – are responsible for around 90 per cent of all fungus-related fatalities, making them the deadliest mushrooms in the world. The brown-and-white sporing bodies are easily mistaken for other edible varieties, and reportedly possess a pleasant taste when used in cooking. But they are saturated with deadly chemicals known as amatoxins, toxicologist Dimitri Gerostamoulos told Patterson's trial. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Construction starts on Cross Island Line Phase 2; 6 MRT stations in S'pore's west ready by 2032 Singapore New SkillsFuture requirements from April 2026 to mandate regular training for adult educators Singapore MPs should not ask questions to 'clock numbers'; focus should be improving S'poreans' lives: Seah Kian Peng Singapore Sequencing and standards: Indranee on role of Leader of the House Asia Australian woman found guilty of all counts in mushroom murders case Singapore askST Jobs: Facing intrusive demands from your employer? Here's what you can do Singapore NUS College draws 10,000 applications for 400 places, showing strong liberal arts interest Singapore Life After... blazing biomedical research trail in S'pore: Renowned scientist breaks new ground at 59 'They can lead to someone experiencing symptoms of diarrhoea, vomiting, feeling really unwell,' Dr Gerostamoulos told the jury. 'And they progressively get worse if the toxins are not removed.' 'They progress to tissue necrosis, organ failure and can obviously lead to death if not treated appropriately,' he added. Three of Patterson's guests died of organ failure a week after unknowingly eating death cap mushrooms baked into individual portions of beef Wellington. 'It was very apparent that this was not survivable,' intensive care specialist Stephen Warrillow told the jury. A fourth guest fell gravely ill but survived after weeks in hospital. Death cap mushrooms are native to Europe but have spread to the United States, Australia and New Zealand, fungi expert Tom May said during Patterson's trial. He said the mushrooms had a 'slightly sweet' odour when fresh. 'In Australia, it is an exotic species and it was accidentally introduced,' Dr May said in his testimony. They sprout during warm and wet autumn weather and are typically found growing in the shade of oak trees. 'From time to time, every year, usually under suitable conditions, it produces a sporing body, which is the mushroom that we see,' Dr May said. 'They're quite fleshy and they decay quite readily, so they would not last longer than a couple of weeks when they're sitting in the field.' Patterson will be sentenced at a later date. AFP
Straits Times
13 hours ago
- Straits Times
Residential block blaze in Vietnam kills 8, including children
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox A blaze that tore through an apartment block in Vietnam's southern business hub of Ho Chi Minh City killed eight people, including two children, local authorities said on July 7. The fire was sparked late on July 6 on the ground floor of a five-storey apartment block, with all eight fatalities due to smoke inhalation, Ho Chi Minh City authorities said in a statement. Residents battled the flames with fire extinguishers as blasts were heard from inside the property, before emergency service crews arrived, according to media reports. 'There were shouts for help from the apartment. Several residents on higher floors had to jump down to escape. It was terrible,' a neighbour told the state-run Thanh Nien newspaper. Authorities said the cause of the fire was still under investigation. Deadly blazes have recently resulted in a string of high-profile arrests and prosecutions in Vietnam. Eight people were jailed i n 2025 over a 2023 Hanoi apartment fire that killed 56 people, in the country's deadliest blaze in two decades. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Construction starts on Cross Island Line Phase 2; 6 MRT stations in S'pore's west ready by 2032 Singapore New SkillsFuture requirements by April 2026 to mandate regular training for adult educators Singapore askST Jobs: Facing intrusive demands from your employer? Here's what you can do Singapore MPs should not ask questions to 'clock numbers'; focus should be improving S'poreans' lives: Seah Kian Peng Singapore Sequencing and standards: Indranee on role of Leader of the House Tech Hackathons produce scam simulation tool for education, platform identifying birds based on calls Singapore NUS College draws 10,000 applications for 400 places, showing strong liberal arts interest Singapore Life After... blazing biomedical research trail in S'pore: Renowned scientist breaks new ground at 59 In December 2024, police arrested a suspected arsonist over a karaoke bar fire in Hanoi that killed 11 people. AFP
