16 suspects linked to deadly toxic waste dumping detained

Twenty-three people have been detained for illegally dumping toxic chemical waste that killed four people in Zhucheng, Shandong province, on Sunday, CCTV news reported on Wednesday.

The victims were killed by toxic gas produced by the chemical waste.

Thirty-eight people were affected by the toxic chemical waste, including the four who died. Three people were still in critical condition on Wednesday.

An initial investigation found the suspects rented an abandoned yard in Zhucheng to store liquid chemical waste they stealthily shipped in from elsewhere, Meng Xiangtao, vice-mayor of Zhucheng, told China Central Television.

The suspects then secretly discharged the waste late at night through a pipe that they buried underground, he said.

Li Zhaohua, a resident living near the yard, told CCTV there was a pungent smell.

"Not long after I came back home, I got a fever. Then I checked into hospital," Li said.

The main symptoms caused by the waste included headache, dizziness, nausea and cough, said Zhang Yi, head of the Zhucheng People's Hospital, adding the people in critical condition were in comas when they arrived at the hospital.

Pipes used for distributing water on both sides of the streets around the yard have been completely cleaned up, local authorities said, and chemical waste, cans used for storing the waste and polluted soil had been properly dealt with.

Life returned to normal for residents near the yard on Monday after experts from the Shandong Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment conducted an environmental assessment and confirmed there were no further risks.