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| Staff members examine the damaged flexible tube which caused aniline leakage at Shanxi Tianji Coal Chemical Group in Changzhi, north China's Shanxi Province, Jan. 6, 2013. A flexible tube rupture at Shanxi Tianji Coal Chemical Group caused aniline to leak into the Zhuozhang River, the upper reaches of the Zhanghe River, on December 31. Aniline is a toxic chemical widely used as precursors in the manufacture of pigments, herbicides and other chemicals. Authorities in Shanxi said they received the report on Jan. 5, and that an emergency response had been initiated to stop the leak and clean up the pollutants. (Xinhua/Fan Minda) |
A further investigation into the accident is under way.
The contamination has cut off water supplies for Handan, a city located on the river's lower reaches, since Saturday afternoon. The city government said water supplies will not be immediately resumed.
Aniline is a toxic chemical widely used to manufacture pigments, herbicides and other chemicals.
Other rivers have experienced similar contamination in recent years. The Longjiang River in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region was polluted with industrial waste in January 2011, killing a lot of fish and cutting off water supplies in the city of Liuzhou.
In 2010, the Songhua River in northeast China's Jilin Province was polluted by chemicals that were swept into the river after floods hit warehouses owned by two chemical companies.
Temperatures recorded since the end of November have marked the lowest to hit China in 28 years
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