SIMFEROPOL, September 5 (RIA Novosti) - The number of children hit by food poisoning in Ukraine's Black Sea peninsula of Crimea has risen to 192, local health authorities told RIA Novosti on the phone Sunday.

"As of 8:00 a.m. (05:00 GMT), 138 children remain in hospital [54 children have been discharged from hospital]. Three children are in a relatively serious condition," the spokesman said.

On Thursday, 59 children from the city of Dzhankoi were hospitalized with suspected food poisoning. A hospital spokesperson said that the three nurseries the children attended all received food from the same supplier.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has ordered an "immediate investigation" into the incident.

In July, 38 children were hospitalized with food poisoning after attending summer camps in eastern Ukraine.