Poison mushrooms kill 36 in Russia

7/26/2000-A total of 36 people, including five children, have died from eating toxic mushrooms in the Voronezh region of Russia this month, Emergencies Ministry spokesman Alexander Zalyotov said. More than 200 others have fallen ill from eating bad mushrooms in Voronezh, 300 miles south of Moscow. Mushroom sales have been banned at local markets, and police patrol the forests for mushroom pickers. Poisonous mushrooms are a leading cause of death each summer in Russia, where gathering mushrooms is a favorite pastime.