25 punished for illegal disposal of hazardous chemicals

Twenty-five people have been punished after they were implicated in the illegal disposal of hazardous chemicals, which killed four in east China's Shangdong Province, the Ministry of Environmental Protection announced on Monday.

On Oct. 21, 2015, Zhang Linde and Chen Jixin hired a tanker to transport liquid chemical waste to an abandoned coal mine in a village in Zhangqiu City, which they had leased to illegally store the dangerous chemicals, according to the ministry's report.

Zhang, Chen, and the driver and the supercargo died from poisoning as a result of dumping the chemicals.

According to the provincial environmental protection and public security agencies, five local companies had been engaged in the illegal transfer of hazardous chemicals with Zhang and Chen.

Twenty-five suspects have been dealt with according to criminal procedures while several others are at large, the report said, without elaborating.

Shangdong Environmental Protection Bureau has issued the five companies with production suspensions.

As of Jan. 21, the polluted area had been fully enclosed in curtain grouting, the ministry said. The local environment agency will now decontaminate the mine. Endi