Ulaanbaatar's Metropolitan Professional Inspection Department said 247 similar cases have been reported and 42 people have been hospitalised. The department decided to shut down the country's 11 KFC restaurants - all based in the capital - while it investigates what happened. A preliminary investigation found that 35 employees at a restaurant were not thoroughly vetted to handle food, with most of them having blank medical examination reports, which is illegal. The restaurant also lacked internal hygiene management.
A strong bacteria known as Klebsiella spp was detected in water at the restaurant. Traces of E-coli were also found in a soda machine, and four people contracted the Shigella germ - which causes diarrhea and fever - after coming into contact with KFC staff.