Eighty six children have been hospitalized, with five in a serious condition, following an outbreak of food poisoning at a kindergarten in East Siberia, a local official said on Friday.

Pyotr Kaurov, the head of the local department of Russia`s consumer rights regulator, Rospotrebnadzor, said in all 109 people, including 85 children, had been hospitalized Wednesday night in the city of Bratsk with suspected acute gastroenteritis.

He said the poisoning was believed to have been caused by meat balls, made from imported Dutch liver, served as a meal in the kindergarten.

This case of mass food poisoning of children is the second in East Siberia over the last three months, last December a total of 53 school children were hospitalized in the republic of Buryatia after they ate raw vegetable salads in the school canteen.
sections: Accidents, Nature & Health, Region News
areas: Siberian region