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Dumped toxic waste poisons villagers

At least 120 people were sent to hospital in Liaoning after a consignment of toxic industrial waste was dumped illegally, local officials said yesterday.

A spokesman for the Panjin city government said three people were seriously poisoned in the incident, which happened in Songjia village. But they were already out of danger, Zhang Yan said.

'Some others were also sent to three local hospitals for medical observation. No one has died,' he said.

A truckload of waste industrial alkali, from a chemical factory owned by China National Petroleum Corporation near the Liaohe oil field, was dumped in village. It was supposed to have been transferred to a processing plant more than 100km away.

An investigation into the dumping of the waste was still underway, according to Sun Guangjun , a Panjin Public Security Bureau officer in charge of the case.

He said the driver who dumped the waste was also sent to hospital after inhaling poisonous fumes.

Another local police officer said the company transferring the chemical waste was responsible for the accident. 'The company should have sent another staff member to accompany the driver. But it failed to do that,' said the officer, while refusing to identify the company.

The chemical waste released in the village had been processed by factory experts, Mr Sun said. Tests by the provincial environmental department yesterday showed it was safe for villagers to return home, he added.

Mr Zhang denied a Xinhua report that said all the people taken to hospital had been poisoned by the gas. 'Some were only sent to hospital because the government wanted to ensure their safety,' he said.

Xinhua said two police officers, eight medical workers and 110 local villagers were poisoned by hydrogen sulphide.

Li Hongxiu , director of the Panjin No2 People's Hospital, told Xinhua that most of the people sent to hospital said they felt dizzy and sick.

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