Latest Jilin Stories

BEIJING (Reuters) - An explosion in a coal mine in China's northeastern province of Heilongjiang has trapped about 160 miners underground, state media said on Monday. The blast was reported on Sunday at Dongfeng Coal Mine, run by a branch of the Heilongjiang Longmei Mining (Group) Co. Ltd., the Xinhua news agency quoted the provincial coal mine safety administration as saying. More than 40 miners escaped overnight, but at least 200 were working underground at the time of the blast,...

By Benjamin Kang Lim BEIJING (Reuters) - China's northeastern city of Harbin turned on the taps again on Sunday after a toxic spill into its river left millions without water for five days and an 80-km (50-mile) slick still flowing beyond the city. Water supplies in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, were resumed at 10:00 a.m. GMT and provincial Governor Zhang Zuoji drank tap water to prove it was safe, state media said. Hospitals, schools, homes and party and government...

By Benjamin Kang Lim BEIJING (Reuters) - China's northeastern city of Harbin turned on the taps again on Sunday after a toxic spill into its river left millions without water for five days and an 80-km (50-mile) slick still flowing beyond the city. Water supplies in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, were resumed at 1000 GMT and provincial Governor Zhang Zuoji drank tap water to prove it was safe, state media said. Hospitals, schools, homes and party and government institutions...

By Benjamin Kang LimBEIJING (Reuters) - China's northeastern city of Harbin prepared to turn the taps back on Sunday after a toxic spill into its river left millions without water for five days and an 80-km (50-mile) slick still flowing beyond.Water supplies in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, were due to come back on around 1500 GMT. The local government, quoting provincial and city environmental protection officials, said on its Web site the water would be "safe for...

By Chris Buckley HARBIN, China (Reuters) - A resident of a Chinese city that has endured four days without water because of a toxic spill is suing the chemical plant that caused it, highlighting growing demands for environmental protection and transparency in China. Ding Ning lodged a claim for damages in court against Jilin PetroChemical on Friday, his lawyer, Hu Fengbin, said in an interview. Ding is claiming damages of 15 yuan for purchases of bottled water, as well as demanding an...

By Chris Buckley HARBIN, China (Reuters) - A toxic slick of polluted river water reached the outskirts of one of China's biggest cities on Thursday, nearly two weeks after an explosion at a petrochemical plant upstream. China said the blast had caused major pollution, spilling benzene compounds into the Songhua River from which Harbin, capital of the northeastern province of Heilongjiang, draws its drinking water. Harbin is home to nine million people, including three million urban...

By Chris BuckleyHARBIN, China (Reuters) - A toxic slick of polluted river water reached the outskirts of one of China's biggest cities on Thursday after an explosion at a petrochemical plant nearly two weeks ago.China said the blast had caused "major pollution," spilling benzene compounds into the Songhua River from which Harbin, capital of the northeastern province of Heilongjiang and home to nine million people, draws its drinking water.Local officials warned residents on Thursday...

By Chris BuckleyHARBIN, China (Reuters) - A stretch of potentially lethal polluted river water headed toward one of China's biggest cities, Harbin, on Thursday after an explosion at a petrochemical plant.China said on Wednesday the blast had caused "major pollution" in the Songhua River from which Harbin, capital of the northeastern province of Heilongjiang and home to nine million people, draws its drinking water.Harbin city officials temporarily restored water supplies to allow...

By Chris BuckleyHARBIN, China -- A stretch of potentially lethal polluted river water headed toward one of China's biggest cities, Harbin, on Thursday after an explosion at a petrochemical plant.China said on Wednesday the blast had caused "major pollution" in the Songhua River from which Harbin, capital of the northeastern province of Heilongjiang and home to nine million people, draws its drinking water.Harbin city officials temporarily restored water supplies to allow residents...