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Beijing: The number of Chinese infants found threatened by toxic milk powder is likely to rise as the search for victims spreads, state media reported on Tuesday, as the government faced growing public anger over the safety crisis.
More than 1,200 children have been diagnosed with kidney illness after drinking contaminated milk powder produced by the Sanlu Group.
Two infants have died and more than 50 are in a serious condition from kidney stones caused by a banned chemical, melamine.
"Their number could rise as the search for more infants fed Sanlu milk food spreads across the country's rural areas," the China Daily reported.
"The number could rise sharply in coming days as more parents take their children for medical check-ups," it added, citing Health Minister Chen Zhu.
Meanwhile, police arrested two people who confessed to adding the industrial chemical melamine to the milk, state news agency Xinhua reported.
The report quoted one of the suspects, a milk dealer, as saying he added melamine to eliminate a "strange smell" in milk from his cows.
Four people have been formally arrested in the scandal, which has killed two babies so far.
More arrests are expected, Xinhua quoted police officials as saying.
Melamine is rich in nitrogen, an element often used to measure protein, and so can be used to disguise diluted milk.
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