China Toxic Waste Spill Kills 2, Pollutes River
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BEIJING — Two people were killed and the livelihoods of 40,000 were threatened when a reservoir holding toxic chemical waste burst last week in central China’s Shaanxi province, the official China Daily said Thursday.
The newspaper said that on April 14 a gate collapsed at a molybdenum waste reservoir of the Jinduicheng Molybdenum Mining Co., sending poisoned water surging into the nearby Liyu River. Molybdenum is a metallic substance used chiefly in strengthening steel.
The deluge also flowed into two other rivers, washing away trees, swamping 52 wells, toppling 25 wooden bridges and damaging 15 miles of river embankment, the paper said. Two villagers drowned when caught in the flood while crossing a river.
The daily said villagers were warned not to drink from contaminated rivers and wells.
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