A 60-year old man is seriously ill and at least 40 people in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province fell sick after eating snack food from a shopping center on Monday, say health authorities.

They all suffered nausea and vomiting after eating food from a snack vendor at around noon in the underground dining area of Hongbo Shopping Center in downtown Harbin's Hongqi Street, said Liu Minglie, deputy head of Harbin Municipal Health Bureau.

They ate malatang, a variety of traditional Chinese hotpot, named after the copious amounts of spicy pepper and sesame oil added to the broth.

Most of the patients were in stable condition as of 6:40 p.m., but the 60-year-old man was in a serious condition, Liu said.

The number of victims could rise, he said.

The stall was closed and health authorities are investigating the incident.

(Xinhua News Agency February 23, 2009)