HONG KONG, July 8 (AP) -- More than 70 people in Hong Kong have fallen ill recently from food poisoning linked to contaminated raw sea urchins, the government said.

Initial investigations showed that most of the 73 people sickened, between June 27 and July 3, had eaten sea urchins at Japanese chain restaurants, which all sourced the delicacy from the same supplier, the Health Department said in a statement late Friday.

The victims were aged between 7 to 75 years old and developed symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain and fever hours after eating the urchins, the statement said.

Two of those affected were hospitalized but have been discharged, the statement said. The rest developed mild symptoms and did not require hospitalization.

Laboratory tests showed that one of the patients was affected by vibrio parahaemolyticus, a bacteria commonly found in seafood, it said.

Officials have asked the sea urchin supplier to stop selling the product.