49 detained over environmental damage

So far, 295 officials have been held accountable, including 49 who were detained, for environmental damage caused by projects they were supposed to oversee, a senior official at Hainan's Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment Protection said on Wednesday.

Mao Dongli, the deparment's deputy director, said the tropical province has established nine inspection teams. The managing deputy governor will head the inspections, and top officials from the provincial discipline inspection commission, organization department and other key departments will be members.

They will inspect the nine environmental destruction cases reported by the central government in December to further clarify responsibility and punish individuals responsible.