More than 20 students fell sick at a university in central China's Henan Province Thursday and may be suffering from food poisoning, said school authorities.

Henan University of Industry said the campus clinic began to receive students suffering from stomachaches and diarrhea, some of whom had been vomiting, at around 2:00 AM Thursday.

The school immediately sent dozens of students to local hospitals for checkups and more than 20 still remained hospitalized. They are in stable condition.

All the sick students ate dinner Wednesday at the No.1 students' dinning hall. The school authority has temporarily closed the dinning hall for investigation.

Officials from the local police, public health, food and drug authorities are investigating the incident.

(Xinhua News Agency September 16, 2010)