Vladimir Popov, vice president of the regional administration, made the announcement on 24 November, one day after China confirmed that a 13 November chemical factory accident in Jilin Province resulted in tons of the industrial solvent benzene being dumped into the Songhua River, which flows into the Amur River. The Amur forms a large part of the border between Russia and China.
The spill is today passing the Chinese city of Harbin, 700 kilometers upstream from the Russia city of Khabarovsk, which has a population of about 700,000.
Chinese officials estimate the slick will not reach Russia for another two weeks, but Popov said the chemicals will likely reach Khabarovsk by 1 December.
(ITAR-TASS/Interfax/Reuters/AP)/
