Death sparks probe into China"s Baidu

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Baidu shares have slumped in the US on news of an investigation by regulators in China over the death of a student.

The internet search engine, referred to as China’s Google, saw its Nasdaq-listed shares fall 7.92%.

China’s internet regulator has said it will investigate the death of the university student, who used Baidu to search for cancer treatment.

Wei Zexi, aged 21, a computer science student at Xidian University, died last month of a rare form of cancer.

According to state media, Wei was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma in 2014. He had been undergoing a controversial treatment at a hospital which was advertised on the search engine.

Baidu has said on its Weibo account that it had filed a request for the hospital to be investigated.

The company told the BBC: “We deeply regret the death of Wei Zexi and our condolences go out to his family.

“Baidu strives to provide a safe and trustworthy search experience for our users, and have launched an immediate investigation of the matter.”

China’s internet regulator – Cyberspace Administration of China – is teaming up with several other government agencies to look into the matter, including the State Administration of Industry and Commerce, and the National Health and Family Planning Commission.

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Death sparks probe into China"s Baidu
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