Water contaminated by factory blaze

GUANGZHOU: Thousands of people in Maoming, Guangdong province, are without drinking water, despite the local environment authority saying yesterday it is safe to drink, two days after a chemical plant in the city exploded.

The Sinopec Maoming Company Ethylene Plant was hit by lightning on Tuesday evening. The explosion led to a big fire and resulted in a large amount of carbon dust filling the air. Rivers and wells in villages around the factory were also polluted by the carbon dust.

"The water in the well near my house is dark," villager Pan Lei said yesterday.