The wedding banquet was attended by about 470 people on June 29in Qinhuanggong Hotel. Not long after, over 80 diners began to experience fever, diarrhea, vomiting and stomachache. The victims were sent to the Municipal No. 1 People's Hospital immediately.

The victimized diners recalled that some dishes at the banquet were not fresh enough and tasted nasty.

The same day, some 130 other people had lunch at the hotel. The No. 1 People's Hospital, Haigang Hospital, the Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Shanhaiguan People's Hospital in the city also received patients with diarrhea after dining at the Qinhuanggong Hotel.

The municipal government has organized an emergency group to investigate the cause of food poisoning. Deputy Mayor Xing Luzhen and other city officials paid a visit to the victims at the No. 1 People's Hospital Monday morning. Xing asked the municipal health department to step up food and hygiene inspections in hotels and restaurants citywide.

Most of the victims had recovered and had been discharged from hospital. Nine remained in hospital in a stable condition and were expected to be discharged in one or two days, said sources with the No. 1 People's Hospital.

(Xinhua News Agency July 1, 2003)