DALIAN, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Customs in Dalian of northeast China's Liaoning Province said Friday they had intercepted more than 270 tonnes of manganese ore with excessive radioactivity.

The cargo was seized on Nov. 15, 2019 during checks when natural radionuclide level was found 4.4 times higher than the state limit value, said the Dalian Customs.

According to the customs, the substandard manganese ore, worth 4.14 million yuan (around 594,000 U.S. dollars), was imported from Mozambique. It may cause long-term contamination to the environment and pose a threat to human beings, animals and plants.

The customs has sealed up and isolated the cargo according to relevant regulations and will send it back to its port of origin.