An 11-year-old boy mixed apricots with rat poison and invited his schoolmates to eat, killing himself and a girl and leaving seven others ill in northwest China's Gansu Province, local police said on Friday.

 

Two children have been discharged from hospital while the five others were still in hospital out of life threat, local hospital sources said.

 

The incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon in a village primary school of Tianshui city. The girl who died was 11 years old, while the seven ill pupils -- five girls and two boys -- were aged from 7 to 11.

 

The nine children were rushed to hospital after being found by a teacher lying on the ground outside the school gate, but the boy surnamed Qi who poisoned himself and others died before reaching hospital.

 

Qi's death made it difficult to know why he had poisoned the apricots. Local police and education officials are investigating.

 

(Xinhua News Agency June 30, 2007)