The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Kabul

Ten Afghans have died and more than 100 have fallen ill with liver disease after eating wheat contaminated with a poisonous plant, heightening food insecurity in the country, officials said Thursday.

The plant, known locally as Charmak, grows in wheat fields and was harvested at the same time in the remote Gulran district in western Herat province bordering Iran, said health officials.

A similar outbreak of the disease in Afghanistan in 1974 killed dozens of people. There have also been cases in India and some central Asian nations in recent years.

"Yes, I confirm more than 100 people have been affected and 10 people have died. We learnt about it in early February," public health ministry spokesman Abdullah Fahim told AFP.