All 67 victims hit by a suspected poisoning case in Central China's Hunan Province on Saturday morning are out of life-threatening danger now, college and hospital sources told China Daily yesterday.

Many of the victims are still hospitalized, but all appear to be recovering, they said.

According to Zhongnan College officials, where the food poisoning occurred, 61 students and six teachers became ill and fainted - with some falling into comas after their breakfast at the No 2 Dining Hall on campus around 7 am.

A faculty member surnamed Liu said all the victims had eaten rice-flour noodles and it is suspected that someone intended to poison the food.

According to city epidemic prevention officials, poison obtained from vomit tested positive for methylamine phosphorus, a deadly pesticide.

"People who had breakfast at the other two dining halls at the college did not suffer food poisoning," said Liu.

He said the police were still hunting for the cause of the outbreak.

However, Hengyang City police officials were not available for comment yesterday.

Huang Haibin, a junior majoring in management at the Zhongnan College was a victim.

He said he went to another college to have an English test after he had noodles, but on the way vomited and broke out in a cold sweat.

When he was sent to the Hengyang Central Hospital, he was almost comatose with his arms and legs losing strength.

The Central Hospital received a total of 27 people involved in the poisonings, including Yang.

According to a doctor at the hospital, a student named Li Junhui was in very critical condition when admitted.

After treatment, including gastric lavage, oxygen therapy and haemodialysis, Li was stablized and out of danger, the doctor said.

Eighteen other victims were sent to the No 1 Hospital affiliated to Nanhua University and 22 were hospitalized in the No 2 Hospital affiliated with the same university.

No 2 Hospital officials said there were two students so seriously ill that they were kept in an intensive care unit where they narrowly "escaped death." According to a nurse at the No 1 Hospital, the six patients in her department were receiving infusions and they were in stable condition. "There was a little chaos when the patients were first sent here. All the nurses and doctors at my department were quite busy conducting gastric lavage for them," she said.

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