Four children aged 7 to 11 died Sunday after eating toad soup in Beidou Township in Taishan City.

Lin, mother of three of the children, cooked the soup for them and a niece because she had heard that toad soup could eliminate the inside "heat" of humans, according to Chinese medicine.

Lin, who caught the toads in fields, also cooked some for her mother-in-law. But the old woman, thinking it was precious food, left it for her grandson.

The four children showed symptoms of poisoning only one hour after eating the soup. The family tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate the children. They later died in hospital.

Doctors said the four had suffered serious poisoning and it was already too late when they arrived at the hospital.

The case has been reported to the Ministry of Health and local police.

Experts warned people against eating toads and other wild frogs which are often poisonous. The poison not only exists in the ear gland and skin, but also in the muscle, liver and ovaries of a toad.

Children are more susceptible to toad poison, particularly those under 15.

A 2-year-old in Zhejiang Province reportedly died from toad poisoning last September.

(Shenzhen Daily September 2, 2003)