More than 6,200 babies have fallen ill after drinking formula milk made from contaminated powder. The figure is five times higher than previously announced, so far there have been three fatalities. Twenty-two brands of powder have been found to contain the toxic industrial chemical melamine, added to make it appear higher in protein. A total of 6,244 infants have fallen ill, and within that the number of those diagnosed with "acute kidney failure" had risen to 158.

The government has labelled the poisonings a "level one" food safety incident and formed an emergency team. Tests have so far revealed that 69 batches of formula made by 22 companies were contaminated with the banned substance. Two of the brands are exported to Bangladesh, Yemen, Gabon, Burundi and Burma - although it is not clear if contaminated batches are involved.