NANNING - A suspected poisoning has sickened five children in a kindergarten in Cenxi city in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, local authorities said on Wednesday.

One child who suffered severe poisoning is in a coma, according to authorities.

The five children were immediately sent to the Health Center of Sanbao Town and the People's Hospital of Cenxi City on Tuesday afternoon when they developed poisoning symptoms after accidentally ingesting a powder believed to be rat poison according to a primary diagnosis.

It's still unknown how the children had access to the rat poison.

The case is under further investigation.