Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Russia

Russian City To Declare Emergency After Chinese Spill

China's Songhua River on 24 November (epa)

25 November 2005 -- Officials in the Khabarovsk region in Russia's Far East say they will declare a state of emergency today as an 80-kilometer slick of toxic chemicals is approaching the Russian border from China.

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November 25, 2005

Vladimir Popov, vice president of the regional administration, made the announcement on 24 November, one day after China confirmed that a 13 November chemical factory accident in Jilin Province resulted in tons of the industrial solvent benzene being dumped into the Songhua River, which flows into the Amur River. The Amur forms a large part of the border between Russia and China.

The spill is today passing the Chinese city of Harbin, 700 kilometers upstream from the Russia city of Khabarovsk, which has a population of about 700,000.

Chinese officials estimate the slick will not reach Russia for another two weeks, but Popov said the chemicals will likely reach Khabarovsk by 1 December.

(ITAR-TASS/Interfax/Reuters/AP)/

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