BEIJING (AP) — Chinese news reports say seven officials have been fired and two others punished for a spill of toxic cadmium in a river in southern China.
Saturday's reports say those fired include the environment protection director for the city of Hechi on the Longjiang River, where the spill in January was first detected.
The spill threatened drinking water supplies for millions of people, and authorities say efforts to neutralize the cadmium were keeping levels of the chemical within safe limits.
Eight managers from mining and metals companies in the area have been detained in an investigation into the source of the contamination.