56 KwaZulu-Natal school pupils treated for food poisoning

Fifty-six children were taken to Pietermaritzburg hospitals after showing signs of food poisoning while at school, KwaZulu-Natal emergency services said on Friday.

"The children, aged between nine and 12, had started showing symptoms of food poisoning," spokesman Robert Mckenzie said.

They were taken to the nearby Phatheni clinic before paramedics transferred them to various hospitals in the Pietermaritzburg area.

"Four of the children were in a serious condition, the remainder were stable," he said.

"Investigations are underway which will determine what caused the children to fall sick."