More toxic milk trials in China

Tainted milk made thousands of Chinese babies ill

Nine people linked to a deadly toxic milk scandal went on trial on Monday, China's state news agency said.

Four were charged with "endangering public security" after making and selling "protein powder" that included melamine, reported Xinhua.

Another five appeared in local courts, bringing the total number on trial over the scandal so far to 15.

Hundreds of thousands of infants fell ill and at least six died after melamine was added to milk products.

The company at the centre of the scandal, Sanlu, has filed for bankruptcy.

Death penalty

The four who went on trial on Monday - identified as Gao Junjie, his wife Xiao Yu, Xue Jianzhong, and Zhang Yanjun - could face 10 years in jail or even the death penalty.

They went on trial in the northern city of Shijiazhuang, Hebei province - where Sanlu is headquartered, and where the first group of six accused went on trial on Friday.

The four whose trial began on Monday are accused of selling 200 tonnes of "protein powder" - a mixture of melamine, malt dextrin and whey powder - to milk producers.

Also on Monday, five further suspects went on trial in three local courts, also in Hebei, on charges of making and selling poisonous food, Xinhua reported.

Compensation

State media say that a fund set up by 22 dairy firms will compensate families whose children died or were hospitalised.

Reports suggest families of children killed by the tainted milk could receive 200,000 yuan ($29,000; £19,800). Families of babies hospitalised could get up to 50,000 yuan.

When the scandal broke in September, a chain of melamine producers and middlemen was found to have been supplying milk dealers with the product.

The dealers added melamine to boost the apparent protein content of milk, which had often been watered down to make the raw product go further.

Major dairy companies bought the milk from such dealers, failing to test the milk for purity and nutritional value.

The government scrambled to fight off allegations that it reacted slowly to the scandal, and promised to bring the culprits to court.

The scandal tarnished China's food industry far beyond its borders.