Suspect responsible for funeral dinner mass poisoning detained

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, October 24, 2003

Suspect responsible for funeral dinner mass poisoning detained

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Chen Xiaomei, the widow of dead farmer Zhu Datian from Lichuan City of central China's Hubei Province, was detained by the police for planning a mass poisoning at a funeral banquet in honor of her husband on Tuesday.

According to local police, Chen is supported by her second son Zhu Famin, while her husband, Zhu Datian lived with the eldest son Zhu Fabin. Families of the two sons had long been at feud about issues such as division of property and support of their parents.

Chen was said to often quarrel bitterly with the eldest daughter-in-law in daily life.

The mass poisoning with a banned rat poison known as Dushuqiang killed 10 people and sickened 23 others after they all ate at the home of Zhu Fabin at noon on Tuesday.

In most rural areas in China, fellow villagers will attend funerals as helpers and the host will feed them during the day.

The sickened villagers are all hospitalized, said local sources.

Funeral dinner poisoning was deliberate: official

WUHAN, Oct. 23 (Xinhuanet) -- Ten people died after a banned rat poison was deliberately put into food for guests at a rural funeral in Lichuan City Tuesday, declared Kong Xiang'en, Mayor of Lichuan, central China's Hubei Province.

Police investigations and hospital tests showed the victims, included 23 who were hospitalized, had consumed Dushuqiang, which has been banned from production or sale in China.

The dead, included one child and four women, at Huaping Village, Lichuan City. Altogether 33 people fell ill after they ate at the home of villager Zhu Fabin at noon on Tuesday. They had all attended the same funeral.

The perpetrator could be a fellow villager who harbored a grudge against Zhu, said police, who had identified a suspect and were collecting evidence.

Experts dispatched by the Ministry of Public Health reached Lichuan City Thursday night and all the victims in hospital were reported to be stable.

Three-year-old Zhu Bingkun, the youngest victim, had recovered and could move around with the help of his family.

In most rural areas in China, fellow villagers will attend funerals as helpers and the host will feed them during the day.

Food poisoning claims 10 lives in central China

WUHAN, Oct. 22 (Xinhuanet) -- A food poisoning on Tuesday in Lichuan City of central China's Hubei Province has claimed 10 lives by Wednesday morning, with 22 others still hospitalized, according to the provincial health bureau.

Thirty-three people fell sick in the Huaping Village after they ate meals at the home of villager Zhu Fabin at noon Tuesday. All the sick villagers had attended the same funeral. About 15 minutes after the start of the meal, one person died on the spot.

Zhong Guokun, an official with the provincial health bureau, said that all the 10 dead villagers died on the spot or on the way to a local hospital.

Local medical experts suspected that the villagers ate some kind of rat poison.

A team of medical experts sent by the provincial government is on the way to the incident site.

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