Suspected food poisoning hospitalizes 120 Hainan tourists

A suspected food poisoning case on a southern Chinese island led to the hospitalization of 120 tourists on Sunday, including six foreigners, local authorities told Xinhua on Monday.

The vacationers were sent for medical treatment after their breakfast in the Howard Johnson Hotel in Sanya City in Hainan Province, said Zhou Baocang, deputy director of the Sanya Health Bureau.

Twenty-eight people left hospital after treatment, while the other 92 remain in the People's Hospital of Sanya and No. 425 Hospital of the People's Liberation Army.

"No deaths have been reported. The patients are recovering well," said Chen Weijie, deputy director of the Sanya City Food and Drug Administration.

Four of the six foreigners are from Russia and two from Japan, and all of them are in stable condition, Zhou said.

Initial investigation showed that the illnesses were caused by food harboring bacteria, and more evidence needs to be collected, Zhou said.

Service at the hotel's restaurant has been suspended.

"The fried rice at breakfast might be to blame. The biggest discomfort was suffered by my friend, who had stomach ache and wanted to vomit. Another friend has been suffering from fever," said a tourist named Li Ximing from south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Hainan provincial government officials have urged local authorities to guarantee the safety of the tourists. Experts have been sent by the provincial government to the scene.

An emergency response team has been set up by the hotel and 80 employees have been dispatched to hospital to help take care of the patients, said Wang Li, a spokeswoman for the hotel.

The hotel will compensate the patients based on investigation, Wang added.