Twelve people fell ill and a 30-year-old man died after eating a breakfast contaminated with rat poison at a government unit's dining hall in central China's Hubei Province on Thursday.

The victims, all employees of the tax bureau of Xiantao city, felt sick after having noodles and soybean milk at around 7:00 a.m., and were taken to hospital.

Rat poison was confirmed as the cause of accident, said doctors.

The poisoned workers, three in critical condition, are still receiving treatment in hospital.

Police are investigating the incident.

(Xinhua News Agency October 11, 2007)