All of the 44 victims are in a stable condition and some have already left hospital after receiving emergency treatment, according to Shi Huaimin, deputy director of Lintong District Public Health Bureau.

Most of those poisoned are residents in the district's Qinling Village. They all bought bulk fresh milk from fellow villager and dairy farmer Chen Mo, the deputy director said.

Yan Jufang, 50, who was among the poisoned, said she felt sick an hour after drinking the milk on Saturday morning.

Yao Daye, who was also affected, said he had bought milk from Chen for two years and never had problems before.

By 3:00 pm on Saturday, 44 people had been rushed to hospital, Shi said.

Initial results from the local health department's investigation into the poisoning suggest the milk had been accidentally contaminated, rather than deliberately poisoned, according to the deputy director.

The investigation is still continuing and local police have seized the dairy farmer's equipment.

In another development, 6,000 globe-fish were found in Chang'an District of Xi'an on Saturday. Two local residents in the city died after eating the toxic fish on March 20. Nine other Xi'an residents were also hospitalized after consuming globe-fish.

The deaths triggered inspections by local departments to check for any other such fish in Xi'an.

On Friday, 40 globe-fish were found in markets and restaurants, and on Saturday another 6,000 were found at a farm in Chang'an District, according to a local official source. The farmer said he reared globe-fish for scientific research purposes and supplied supporting documents.

Local departments said the investigation into the globe-fish farm will continue to see if it is legal. The breeding, selling and cooking of globe-fish are normally forbidden by the Ministry of Health.

Globe-fish is a potentially toxic fish found in China's coastal areas and some inland rivers.

People can die if they eat the fish without cooking it properly.

(China Daily March 24, 2003)