Official blamed for Chinese toxic spill is found hanged

[DoYouEverWonder]

08 December 2005

A senior official who tried to cover up the discharge of 100 tons of toxic benzene and nitrobenzene into the Songhua river in north- eastern China is believed to have hanged himself.

Wang Wei, vice-mayor of Jilin City and the local environmental chief, reportedly committed suicide on Tuesday. "I'd heard he'd died at home yesterday. We've heard he hanged himself," a senior city official said yesterday.

Mr Wang had been widely quoted as denying that an explosion on 13 November at a Jilin chemical plant would result in contamination of the Songhua, the main source of drinking water for millions of people in both countries.

"It will not cause large-scale pollution," he told the Chinese media two days after the blast. But, eight days later, the city of Harbin was forced to suspend water supplies to 3.8 million residents after the levels of the carcinogen nitrobenzene in the Songhua were found to be 30 times the maximum safe level. It took a further 10 days for officials to admit publicly that the Songhua had been polluted. The incident caused widespread panic in Harbin, prompting the Chinese Premier, Wen Jiabao, to fly to the city to reassure residents.

The toxic chemicals continue to flow in the river towards Russia.


http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article331790.ece



I guess government officials in China take their jobs much more seriously then their counterparts in the US ever will. I just can't picture Brownie doing himself in because he was so distraught over his response to Katrina.

[Miss Chybil]

1. Sad, but too bad our own officials haven't the balls -

not to kill themselves - but to, at least, take responsibility for their actions.

[DS1]

2. Asshole

The gov't should've done it for him for trying to cover something like that up.

[rodeodance]

4. this sad man most likely took lessions from his gov. on coverups.

[GreenPartyVoter]

3. Not cause large-scale pollution? Riiiight

[Straight Shooter]

5. What a shame our politicians have no sense of shame. n/t