Society

5,016 chemical barrels recovered from NE China river

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-07-31 20:58

CHANGCHUN - Some 5016 of the 7,000 chemical barrels that were swept into a major river in northeast China's Jilin Province Wednesday had been recovered as of 7:00 p.m. Saturday.

Related readings:  4,260 chemical barrels retrieved from Songhua River  Water of Songhua River declared safe to drink

But local authorities said it was still not immediately clear how many of the retrieved barrels contained chemicals.

Some 3,000 full barrels and 4,000 empty ones were swept into the Wende River and on to the Songhua River after floods hit warehouses of two chemical factories in Jilin City, Jilin Province, early Wednesday.

Jilin provincial government has vowed to recover all containers before they flow to lower reaches of the Songhua River.