Toxic buns kill 3 sisters in China

Three sisters in northwest China were poisoned to death after eating steamed buns contaminated by borax, which their grandmother mistook for alkali powder when preparing the food, said local sources.

The tragedy happened Thursday, the first day of the Spring Festival or the Lunar New Year, in Liujiagou Village of Suide County, Shaanxi Province.

The three girls, aged 6 to 13, died despite doctors' efforts to treat them. Their father and eight-year-old brother were also poisoned. The father has been discharged from the hospital while the son is still undergoing treatment.

Borax is used in detergents, cosmetics and insecticide and might resemble alkali powder, which is also white. China bans the compound in food additives. Borax poisoning can cause shock or coma.

Some farmers buy borax to poison pheasants or sparrows in cropland, police said.

The local government has urged farmers to safely manage toxic pesticides.