MOSCOW, March 2 (RIA Novosti) - The number of victims to food poisoning in an East Siberian city has hit 150, including 117 children, in the last three days, the Emergency Situations Ministry said on Sunday.

The outbreak occurred in a kindergarten in Bratsk on Thursday, when 85 children and 25 adult personnel were hospitalized. Five children were placed in intensive care. The poisoning was believed to have been caused by meat balls, made from imported Dutch liver, served as a meal in the kindergarten.

In the last 24 hours, another nine children and one adult were taken to hospital with similar symptoms.

Prosecutors are investigating the case of mass poisoning, which is the second in East Siberia over the last three months. Last December, a total of 53 school children were hospitalized in the republic of Buryatia after they ate raw vegetable salads in a school canteen.