A kindergarten teacher has been arrested on suspicion of poisoning 23 pupils in central China, police say.
Police in the city of Jiaozuo said a teacher identified by the surname Wang is believed to have poisoned the children’s food with sodium nitrate, overexposure to which can be toxic and possibly fatal.
The children were rushed to hospital after they began fainting and vomiting after eating porridge on Wednesday, state media said.
Police are still looking for a motive for the incident.
News agency Xinhua reported that one child remains seriously ill while seven others are being treated in hospital. The other 15 children involved have since been discharged.
The school has reportedly been closed temporarily.
Schoolchildren in China have been the target of attacks by people bearing grudges or considered mentally ill.
In 2002, 42 people, mostly schoolchildren, died after eating snacks laced with rat poison in the eastern city of Nanjing. The killer was swiftly sentenced to death and executed.
