China’s southern business capital of Guangzhou, just north of Hong Kong, was rushing today to safeguard its water supply as a toxic spill from a smelter flowed toward the city of seven million people, state media said.

Authorities in the Russian far eastern city of Khabarovsk today cut off water supplies to 10,000 inhabitants as a Chinese toxic slick floated downriver toward it.

Residents of the far eastern Russian city of Khabarovsk stocked up on water today before the arrival of a toxic chemical slick that could force authorities to shut off water and central heating despite subzero temperatures.

Chinese workers are labouring “around the clock” on a temporary dam project to block pollutants from reaching a major Russian city, a Chinese official said today.

A toxic spill from a Chinese factory is now threatening the Russian city of Khabarovsk, where 580,000 people now face pollution and the possibility that their heating may have to be switched off despite sub-zero temperatures.

The toxic spill that poisoned a Chinese river and forced Chinese authorities to cut off drinking water for millions has crossed the Russian border, Russian media reported today.

A toxic slick from a Chinese plant explosion has picked up speed toward Russia and is due to cross the border in about three days, Alexander Gavrilov, the head of the Russian Far East Meteorological Service, said today.

China is considering building a dam to reduce the impact of a river-borne toxic spill expected to arrive in a Russian city early next week, a government newspaper said today.

The head of a Chinese chemical company blamed for a toxic spill that poisoned a major river and strained relations with Russia has been removed from his post, the company said today.

Another city in north east China has shut down a water plant on a poisoned river fearing contamination from approaching toxic chemicals, an official said today.

A small group of residents protested today outside the Chinese consulate in the Russian Far East town of Khabarovsk, pleading during a meeting with Beijing’s top diplomat there for more information about a toxic spill set to flow into the Amur River.

Beijing tried to ease strains with Moscow over a river-borne toxic spill flowing toward Russia by today promising to send filtering materials, while five more Chinese cities prepared to stop drawing water from the river.

Residents of a town along a poisoned river in northern China today queued with jugs and buckets to get water from trucks after officials shut down running water to 26,000 people.

ANOTHER town on a poisoned Chinese river shut down its water system yesterday as a toxic slick caused by a chemical plant explosion arrived and the country’s health minister warned that the spill was still a major problem.

China’s top health official today said the pollution of the Songhua River by a chemical spill was a big problem which has highlighted the country’s need to have contingency plans for emergencies.

A massive chemical spill was headed downriver from China to Russia’s Far East today, as officials sought to reassure residents of a Chinese city that their water was safe to drink after being shut off for five days as the pollutants flowed past.

Russia’s emergency agency today said it was mounting a quick response to a toxic chemical spill flowing downriver from China that is expected to reach Russia’s far eastern regions early next month.

A SLICK of river-borne toxins from a chemical plant explosion flowed into a major Chinese city yesterday as the authorities faced increasing criticism of their handling of the situation.

A long stretch of river carrying toxins from a chemical plant explosion today flowed into a Chinese city where authorities shut off water supply to millions of residents for fear that the pollution could cause cancer.

A CHINESE city of 3.8 million people closed schools and was trucking in drinking water yesterday after shutting down its water system following a chemical plant explosion that officials said polluted a river with toxic benzene.

Fifteen cows in the Far East Primorye region of Russia are exhibiting symptoms of foot-and-mouth disease, the regional veterinary agency said today, suggesting the highly contagious illness was spreading.

The Russian air force halted flights of Mi-8 transport helicopters today after a crash landing near the far eastern city of Khabarovsk injured three pilots.