A cyanide spill in
the Guijiang river near
Wuzhou city in southwestern Guangxi province
recently resulted in the death
of a large number of fish in
the river and suspension of
water supply by some local
water companies. The spill
occurred when a truck carrying 10 tonnes of cyanide fell
into the river and ruptured
19 of the 200 barrels it was
carrying. One barrel of
poison is still missing.
However, officials claim that
the spill had not affected any
people. As a precautionary
measure, authorities were
screening fish and vegetables
for traces of poison.
The Guijiang is a tributary of the Pearl river which
flows through the densely-populated Guangdong province and into the South
China Sea near Hong Kong
and Macau. The water company in Macau had already
stopped water imports from
China and authorities in
Hong Kong have launched
cyanide checks. Macau has
suspended water imports
from China and also banned
people from bringing in food
from the Chinese mainland.
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