Hundreds of Chinese middle school students treated after falling ill

BEIJING, June 14 (UPI) -- Health officials say they are investigating why hundreds of students at a school in southwest China became so ill they had to be hospitalized.

Some 45 of the 340 students treated are seriously ill, Xinhua reported Friday.

Another 130 students from the Yingtian Middle School in Sichuan Province remain hospitalized for observation.

The students fell ill Thursday evening, local authorities said.

The incident is being investigated by experts from the province's disease control and prevention center.