7 arrested for polluting S China river

NANNING - Seven people have been detained for polluting a river in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region in July, and one suspect remains at large, local police said Tuesday.

A man surnamed Gong, 34, owner of the Huiwei Ore-processing Company that has been identified as the source of the pollution, was confirmed to be responsible for the contamination of the Hejiang River, according to police.

Police investigation found that Gong had secretly converted the qualified ore-processing plant and illegally installed an indium production line as of May 20.

The plant discharged effluents containing toxic cadmium and thallium near the river without treatment or disposal, resulting in the pollution of the river, police said.

Gong and six other suspects from the company were detained last Friday. Police are still pursuing a man surnamed Ling, who was in charge of the plant's production process.

The pollution was discovered in early July after hazardous substances were detected after dead fish were spotted in a section of the river.

An earlier investigation suggested that the pollutants were thallium and cadmium, which are both toxic to humans.