'They covered the entire river and looked like snowflakes': 220,000 pounds of fish poisoned in Chinese river in latest pollution scandal
- - Thousands of fish killed in 25 mile stretch of Fuhe River in central China
- - Authorities said they were poisoned by ammonia from chemical plant
By BECKY EVANS and AP REPORTER
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Authorities in China have scooped up around 220,000 pounds of dead fish today that they say were poisoned by ammonia from a chemical plant.
Locals said dead fish covered the surface of the Fuhe River in central China and stretched for about 25 miles.
The Hubei province environmental protection blamed local company Hubei Shuanghuan Science and Technology Stock Co for the disaster.
Pollution: 220,000 pounds of poisoned fish have been collected from the Fuhe river in central China
Local officials said the thousands of fish were poisoned by ammonia from a chemical plant
About 25 miles of the Fuhe River in Hubei Province was affected by the suspected ammonia leak
Officials said sampling of its drain outlet showed that ammonia density far exceeded the national standard.
The company said it was not going to immediately comment.
About 1,600 residents in nearby Huanghualao make a living from fishing, Wang Sanqing, the village's Communist Party secretary said.
He said the village has 150 fishing boats and fishermen could lose up to 70,000 yuan ($11,400) per day.
'The dead fish covered the entire river and looked like snowflakes', he said.
Locals said the river was covered by the dead fish and that they 'looked like snowflakes'
Local fisherman could lose up to 70,000 yuan a day after the poisoning
The local village has 150 fishing boats but they have been docked since the poisoning
The environmental department warned the public not to eat the dead fish, but said drinking water was not affected.
It said it ordered the company to suspend operations and fix the pollution problem.
The official Xinhua News Agency said about 220,000 pounds of dead fish had been cleared from 25 miles of the river, but did not cite a figure for the number of fish.
The environmental department said that 'a great number of fish' had been recovered.
Authorities have ordered Hubei Shuanghuan Science and Technology Stock Co to cease operations
It is the latest pollution scandal to hit China and residents are suspicious about the safety of drinking water
Inadequate controls on industry and lax enforcement of existing standards have worsened China's pollution problem, stemming from three decades of breakneck economic growth.
High-profile incidents this year involving dead animals in rivers - not only deaths attributed to pollution but also carcasses dumped by farmers after die-offs at farms - have added to public disgust and suspicions about the safety of drinking water.
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