150 Sick With Likely Food Poisoning After Upstate Mother's Day Party

Eric Gross, spokesman for the Putnam County Bureau of Emergency Services, says about 700 people were at the festival at Chuang Yen Monastery in Kent Cliffs

At least 150 people who attended a Mother's Day garden party at an upstate  Buddhist monastery have fallen ill with food poisoning.

Eric Gross, spokesman for the Putnam County Bureau of Emergency Services, says about 700 people were at the festival at Chuang Yen Monastery in Kent Cliffs. About 500 of them came on buses from Chinatown.

Gross says people starting getting sick with vomiting and diarrhea around 3:30 p.m. Sunday after they had left the party on buses bound for Woodbury Commons shopping outlets.

As of 7 p.m., Gross said 150 had been taken to hospitals in Putnam, Orange and Westchester counties.

Officials urged people who attended the party and feel ill to call the Putnam County Health Department: 845-808-1390.

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