Authorities in the southern province of Binh Duong Friday said they have closed a private nursery suspected of giving children sleeping pills.

 

Phan Van Anh, vice chairman of Thuan Giao Commune in the province, said the daycare service, run by 57-year-old Vo Thi Y, was closed because it was operating without a license.

 

According to Anh, police did not find any evidence of criminal acts by the woman, so she would only be fined for illegally running a nursery.

 

During an inspection of the nursery, police had found 16 kinds of drugs, including sleeping pills and those prescribed for mental illnesses, which Y said were for her own personal use.

 

On Wednesday two children at Y’s nursery, both over one year old, were hospitalized in deep sleep and didn’t wake up until many hours later.

 

One of their parents, Nguyen Thi Mai said another parent had found many children sleeping soundly when she came earlier than usual to pick up her kid from the nursery, Tuoi Tre reported.

 

The mother informed other parents, prompting two of them to rush to the nursery.

 

When Mai found her daughter, Yen Nhi, was not responding when she tried to wake her up, she rushed Nhi  to the hospital, according to the newspaper.