INITIAL investigations in Nanjing point to a commonly used rat poison as the most likely cause of a serious food poisoning incident Saturday.

　　More than 200 people were struck down after eating breakfast foods and there have been an as yet undetermined number of fatalities, local sources said.

　　Zhou Qiang, a publicity official with the Jiangsu Provincial Government, said the poison could have been deliberately put into the food, but public security authorities were still investigating.

　　Doctors attending the victims said the symptoms were consistent with those of people exposed to rat poison.

　　A Xinhua News Agency story said earlier “a number” of people had died.

　　But local sources contacted by China Daily said the number of poisoned people was larger and it was suspected that dozens could have died. The casualties could not be confirmed by authorities who gave no further details.

　　But Zhou said the number was definitely “less than one hundred,” as reported by some Hong Kong papers.

　　A doctor at the emergency ward of a local air force hospital, who declined to be named, said some people were still in critical conditions.

　　“The poisoned will not be out of danger for another 72 hours,” he said. “We are watching them non-stop.”(SD-Agencies)