Altogether 131 primary and middle school students in the county of Jingyang, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, were reported poisoned by ricin on early Thursday.

The source with Xi'an Xijing hospital said they have received on Wednesday night the first student among the group, who was poisoned after mistakenly eating the castor bean.

Li Xiaojing, magistrate of the county, said all the poisoned students had taken part in a ricinus planting activity organized by the provincial youth working commission and a local company in late March.

By press time, all the poisoned students are receiving the medical inspections in the hospital.

All the other students who took part in the activity have received the checkup but no more ricinism cases have been detected.

(Xinhua News Agency April 7, 2006)