A deputy mayor who claimed there was no pollution from a chemical plant explosion was found dead at his home amid public anger over officials' failure to quickly alert residents that tons of toxins had spilled into a major river.
JIAMUSI, China — A deputy mayor who claimed there was no pollution from a chemical plant explosion was found dead at his home amid public anger over officials' failure to quickly alert residents that tons of toxins had spilled into a major river.
Wang Wei, the 43-year-old deputy mayor of Jilin, the city in northeast China where the blast occurred, was found dead Tuesday, the Hong Kong newspaper Ta Kung Pao and Hong Kong Cable TV reported. They said the cause of death was unknown.
The government tried to mollify the public Wednesday by promising a thorough inquiry into the spill into the Songhua River and punishment for anyone responsible. But the government didn't say whether it would target the biggest focus of public anger -- accusations that Communist Party officials tried to cover up the pollution.
Wang ran a team that evacuated residents after the Nov. 13 chemical plant explosion, the Hong Kong newspaper report said. He told Chinese media at the time that there was no pollution from the explosion.
The government didn't announce that the Songhua had been poisoned until 10 days later, after the city of Harbin was forced to shut down running water to its 3.8 million people.
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People who live along the river are angry authorities failed to warn them immediately about the spill of 100 tons of cancer-causing benzene and other toxins. The spill disrupted water supplies to millions and sent a chemical slick flowing downriver to Russia.
"Anyone who is found guilty of dereliction of duty will be harshly dealt with," said Li Yizhong, director of the State Administration of Work Safety, quoted by the official Xinhua News Agency.
"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," he said.
During a visit to Harbin, Premier Wen Jiabao promised to investigate the disaster, but didn't mention the failure to quickly inform the public.
An environmental official has complained that by failing to report the spill promptly, local authorities wrecked China's best chance of minimizing the damage.
The handling of the aftermath of the spill highlights the status enjoyed by party officials who often cannot be investigated or prosecuted without the party's permission.
The director of China's environmental protection agency resigned after the disaster, but there was no sign that he might lose his seat on the party's Central Committee, the heart of Chinese power.
Also Wednesday, another town warned residents to stock up on water and stop using the river, the local Communist Party newspaper Jiamusi Daily said.
Fujin, with about 115,000 residents, relies on groundwater wells, the newspaper said. It didn't say whether running water would stop, but said families were told to store water for daily use.
The slick reached the city of Jiamusi on Tuesday. The government is conducting hourly tests for benzene on well water, according to the city's administration secretary, Zhang Danhong.
Jiamusi shut down some wells used by its main water plant Friday because they were close to the river. A new water plant that draws water from wells farther from the river was rushed into operation Monday, nearly a year ahead of schedule.
On Wednesday, only one of Jiamusi's four water-treatment pools was operating, while workers in overalls and face masks prepared the remaining pools by lining the bottoms with tons of activated carbon, a material used to filter water.
About half the 279 households on an island in the Songhua that is part of the city of Jiamusi were evacuated, Xinhua said. It said those who stayed had enough potable water for one month.
Source: Associated Press
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