Number of school students hospitalised in China rises to 386

The number of students who fell sick due to food poisoning in southwest China has risen to 386, with 231 of them still under observation at a local hospital.

Yesterday, as many as 346 students, including 45 in serious condition, were hospitalised with diarrhoea like symptoms in Sichuan Province, local officials said.

231 of the hospitalised students from Meishan Yingtian School are still under observation at a local hospital, the Dongpo District government of the city of Meishan said.

Some students were found with symptoms of vomiting, dizziness and fever two days ago at the school with over 1,300 students in its kindergarten, primary, junior and high-school grades.

Experts from the provincial disease control and prevention centre have sealed up food samples from the school's dining hall, state-run news agency Xinhua reported.
Government authorities in Meishan City have started food safety checks in all schools in the city.

China has been witnessing a spate of food poisoning incidents in schools and factories.

On June 12, one person died due to suspected poisoning while 160 others working in a food company in south China's Guangdong Province fell ill after eating at the firm's canteen.

Similar incidents were reported from different parts of the country.