China vows to punish any coverup of spill
(AP)
Updated: 2005-12-07 11:04

Harbin was forced to shut down running water for five days, forcing residents to stand in sub-freezing weather to get water from tanker trucks brought in by the local government. Hotels, restaurants, factories and other businesses were badly hurt.

Chinese media have accused local leaders of trying to conceal the spill.

Li Yizhong, director of State Administration of Work Safety, said anybody found guilty of dereliction of duty would be harshly dealt with and those who broke the law would be handed over to judicial departments, Xinhua reported Wednesday.

Li also said that anyone involved in providing false information to investigators and covering up the spill would be "punished severely."

"Any move trying to cover up the cause of the accident and any passive attitude toward the probe are deemed deception and a defiance of law," Li was quoted as saying. He also promised to prosecute those directly responsible for the spill.

A Cabinet-level team headed by Li has been assigned to investigate the spill and will report directly to the top leadership, Xinhua said.

Beijing already has apologized to Moscow for the toxic slick, which was caused by a chemical plant explosion that killed five people and fouled the river with 100 tons of chemicals, including vast amounts of benzene, which is used in making plastic, detergents and other products.

The director of China's environmental protection agency has resigned and the general manager of the chemical company blamed for the spill was removed from his post.

In the first details of the disaster's expected economic impact, a report by the state-run Web site Northeast Net said the government of Harbin is borrowing $79 million to pay for recovery efforts.

The government hasn't said whether businesses, farmers, fishermen and others affected by the disaster would receive compensation.