A man was killed and seven others injured in China after receiving parcels that had become contaminated with toxic chemicals, local media has reported.
The unnamed man, from China's eastern Shandong province, died after taking delivery of a box of shoes in late November which were tainted with methyl fluoroacetate, a highly toxic chemical, the Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday, citing the local post bureau.
The bureau said four parcels delivered by Shanghai YTO Express, a private delivery company, were found to be contaminated by the chemicals, sickening five delivery workers and two recipients.
The report did not state the condition of the injured.
Xinhua said YTO had apologised for the accident, saying that the contamination occurred after a package containing the toxic chemical leaked during transport.
The company said the package was sent by a chemical plant in central China's Hubei province that claimed it was "innoxious".
The spokesman was quoted as saying the delivery company staff had performed routine checks "according to company rules" and that it would cooperate with an ongoing police investigation.
