16 children taken to hospital after batteries found in muffins

At a primary school in Coswig, Germany, 16 children ate muffins containing button batteries at a bake sale.

The muffins were homemade and had been brought in by a pupil.

Two children noticed small objects while eating and did not swallow them; three small batteries were later found in two muffins.

The children were taken to hospitals in Dessau and Wittenberg for checks, and no child was found to have swallowed a battery or become ill.

Button batteries can lodge in the throat and cause serious burns, so the district warned families to seek urgent medical care if they suspect a child swallowed one, even if there are no immediate symptoms.

Police say there is no initial evidence the batteries were put there deliberately, but they are investigating whether negligence was involved.

The investigation is continuing to establish how the batteries ended up in the muffins.