China has launched an investigation into search giant Baidu after the death of a student who tried an experimental cancer therapy he found online.
Wei Zexi, who died last month from a rare form of cancer, had sought the treatment from a hospital that came top of the list on his Baidu web search.
Baidu has come under fire for allegedly selling listings to bidders without adequately checking their claims.
In a statement Baidu said it was investigating the matter.
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 has launched an immediate investigation of the matter."
Baidu owns search engine and social media services, and is often compared to Google.
On Baidu, listings that have paid for a prominent placement are marked at the bottom with a small sign saying "promote", but many say this does not identify them as paid-for listings sufficiently clearly.
Baidu's value fell by more than five-billion dollars on Tuesday, after its shares slumped in the US on news of an investigation by China's internet regulator. Baidu's Nasdaq-listed shares fell 7.92%.
Baidu is China's largest search engine with 70% market share and more than 660 million people using its mobile search every month.
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