China Wal-Mart employees detained in shopper's death

BEIJING (Reuters) - Two Wal-Mart China employees were detained in southern China following the death of a customer, whom employees followed and pushed to the ground after suspecting her of shoplifting, according to a police website.

Yu Xiaochun died last Wednesday, three days after she was injured in a dispute with five Wal-Mart workers after shopping in a Wal-Mart store, the official website for the Jingdezhen city police from southern Jiangxi province said. (www.jdz110.com)

Wal-Mart confirmed that an "incident" occurred near their Jingdezhen store between two security employees and a 37-year old female "visitor," who later died.

"The incident and cause of death is the subject of an investigation," said Wal-Mart in a statement.

"The company is fully cooperating with the relevant authorities and will release further details as it is appropriate," said the retailing giant.

Five store employees followed Yu and stopped her in the street on suspicion that she had stolen goods while shopping at the Wal-Mart store, the police said in the statement.

Police had formally arrested two of the five, but later released the three others for unknown reasons, the official China Daily reported on Tuesday.

Yu refused to show a receipt to prove she had made the purchases because the Wal-Mart employees were not wearing store uniforms when they confronted her, according to the newspaper.

In the ensuing scuffle, Yu was pushed to the ground and injured, it said.

Yu's husband complained that Wal-Mart did not apologize or offer any compensation for his wife's death, the newspaper said.

(Reporting by Yu Le and Kirby Chien; Editing by Ken Wills)