IN BRIEF (Page 2)

Xi'an

Toxic steamed buns kill three sisters

Three sisters in Shaanxi died after eating steamed buns contaminated by borax, which their grandmother mistook for alkali powder when preparing the food, local sources said. The tragedy occurred on Thursday, the first day of Spring Festival or Lunar New Year, in Liujiagou, Suide county. The three girls, aged 6 to 13, died despite doctors' efforts to save them. Their father and 8-year-old brother were also poisoned. The father was discharged from the hospital, while the son was undergoing further treatment.