BEIJING: China said on Wednesday a third infant had died from
drinking milk contaminated with toxic melamine and 6,244 infants were
sick as four officials were sacked amid a widening scandal.The number
of infants diagnosed with “acute kidney failure” had risen to 158,
Health Minister Chen Zhu told a news conference carried live on state
television.
Four city officials and a company boss have been sacked in the
health scare which has seen thousands of parents in southern China
flood into Hong Kong to buy foreign-made milk powder.
China has been beset by scandals about toxic and unsafe food and
other products in recent years. In 2004, at least 13 babies died after
drinking fake milk powder that had no nutritional value.
Facing alarm at the latest food safety scandal, the government
sacked four officials in Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei province in
north China and base of the Sanlu Group, the dairy company first linked
to the toxic milk.
The sackings included the vice mayor in charge of agriculture, Zhang
Fawang, and the director of the city’s food and drug watchdog, Zhang
Yi, as well as chief officials for animal husbandry and quality
inspection.
|
