China: Food poisoning causes 450 victims

A popular festivity in Nanjing, eastern China, at which a local cake was eaten, has caused 41 deaths and at least 400 internments in hospital, according to the Chinese news agency, Xinhua.

The victims were construction workers and students who had gathered to eat the traditional breakfast of bread, cake and rice in a local shop. The authorities are investigating the foodstuffs to ascertain the ingredient which caused the poisoning. It is not yet certain whether this was a case of classical food poisoning, due to the ingredients, or whether it was a criminal act with a third substance being added.

Scientists have recently discovered that rice is far more dangerous than many people think, since a bacterium can reproduce in cooked rice left un-refrigerated, causing numerous cases of unresolved food poisoning.

Timofei BYELO PTAVDA.Ru