More than 80 villagers have sought medication as of 7:00 PM Sunday after eating at a banquet following a funeral Saturday in southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, local authorities said Sunday.

The public clinic in Dongqi Township has been taking in villagers suffering from stomachaches and diarrhea since late Saturday, which doctors said was possibly caused by food poisoning, a spokesman with the government in Rong'an, which administers the township, said.

A preliminary investigation showed that the patients all ate at a dinner following the funeral of a local surnamed Mo.

However, so far it is not known how many people ate the dinner, said the spokesman.

The villagers were later transferred to hospitals in Rong'an for further medical observation, according to the county government.

No deaths had been reported and the sick villagers were all in a stable condition.

Medical staff with the People's Hospital and the Disease Control Center in Rong'an County have arrived in Dongqi Township to conduct epidemiological investigations.

Police and food safety authorities are probing the case.

(Xinhua News Agency August 9, 2010)