Russia braced for Chinese toxic spill

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.

The Emergency Situations Ministry said the benzene spill from the November 13 chemical plant explosion in Jilin could affect 70 Russian cities and villages with a total of more than one million residents along the Amur river, including Khabarovsk, a city of 580,000.

The ministry said in a statement today that it was preparing to switch off running water and was to airlift activated carbon for use in water treatment facilities to help absorb the spill.

It said the 60-mile benzene slick was expected to reach Khabarovsk between December 10-12.