Suspected food poisoning kills 2, hospitalizes 42

A suspected food poisoning outbreak killed two people and hospitalized 19 others in this southern city on Saturday.

The 19 are in a stable condition, while a further 42 people are under observation, the municipal government said yesterday.

The victims all work for BYD Co Ltd, a Shenzhen-based hi-tech company listed in Hong Kong. They had all eaten breakfast at a restaurant in Longgang district's Baolong industrial zone near the BYD office, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported.

They were taken to hospital after complaining of stomach ache, diarrhea and vomiting at around 10am.

According to one of the victims, they ordered six dishes - including tofu, eggplant, potato and green pepper - at one of the 20-plus small restaurants near the company, because the staff canteen stopped serving breakfast at 8:30 am, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported.

None of the restaurants are licensed and were ordered to close before Chinese New Year. But some resumed operation after the holiday.

The Longgang district government told media yesterday it would close the restaurants immediately.

The Shenzhen health department have identified sodium nitrite as the cause of a mass food poisoning and the local public security department is trying to find others who ate at the restaurant.

The cause of the outbreak is still under investigation, but the government and BYD said food poisoning was likely.

Wang Jianjun, spokesman for BYD, said: "We will cooperate with the local government investigation to protect the rights and interests of our employees."

BYD notified employees of the incident and anyone who has dined in the restaurants is required to have a check-up at the nearby healthcare center as soon as possible, the Southern Metropolis Daily said.