TAIYUAN, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- A suffocation incident occurred on Tuesday in a corn processing mill in Xingping Village of Wutai County in north China's Shanxi Province, resulting in seven deaths. Preliminary investigations found that the victims had died from carbon monoxide poisoning, according to local authorities.
The incident started Tuesday evening when a person surnamed Shan entered the feeding pit of a drying facility of the mill, which has been out of production since the beginning of this year. Contact with Shan was subsequently lost.
Afterwards, six people entered the pit in rescue attempts but it is believed all were poisoned. They were later removed from the facility and rushed to hospital by firefighters and rescue workers, but still died. ■
