Dumping of waste in Shanxi triggers inquiry

Police in Shanxi province are looking into accusations that village officials took money to shield a polluting enterprise and that they bullied local protesters, according to the government of Linfen.

The inquiry follows a China Central Television report on Tuesday about Shanxi Sanwei Group, a State-owned chemical enterprise in the city's Hongtong county.

According to the report, the company transported solid waste, including fly ash and carbide slag, to Xigou village - some 2 kilometers from its factory - and dumped it in a 30-meter-deep pit without taking measures to prevent its spread in the environment.