Shares decline 1.77% on swine flu fears

The mainland stocks slipped 1.77 percent to their lowest close in more than two weeks yesterday, hurt by worries about a possible global swine flu pandemic, with food makers, shipping, airlines, tourism and agriculture hit hard although pharmaceutical stocks soared.

The Shanghai Composite Index ended at 2405.348 points, with more than 20 Shanghai A shares sliding by their 10 percent daily limit.

Turnover in Shanghai A shares shrank to a six-week low of 102.3 billion yuan from Friday's 108.4 billion yuan.