A batch of poisoned vinegar consumed on Saturday in northwestern China sickened 120 and killed 11, including a child as young as six years-old, according to reports.
The toxic agent was suspected be anti-freeze, which had been kept in the plastic containers later used for the vinegar, according to AP quoting Xinhua, which later appeared to have removed its report from the Internet.
Mr. Liu, a local resident in Xinjiang, home to a large Uyghur population, told The Epoch Times on Sunday that many local residents, as usual, dined at a restaurant known for its grass jelly (a kind of dessert).
But some customers there who had the vinegar, brewed by the restaurant, were poisoned, Liu said. It is a popular spot, he said.
Liu said that after the food poisoning the restaurant’s small workroom, where the vinegar was brewed, was found to be “filthy like that for making gutter oil.” He was referring to the process whereby shyster-businessmen in China collect oil waste from gutters, sewers and restaurant backdoors to manufacture a foul counterfeit.
The victims were Muslims who were eating together after a daily fast, which is observed during Ramadan. The incident took place in Sangzhu Township, Pishan County in the Hotan area of Xinjiang Province.
The news was later taken down from Xinhua’s website. Some major news portals, including Sohu and NetEase, appeared to follow suit by Sunday.
chinareports@epochtimes.com
