Ammonia discharged by a chemical plant in central China's Hubei province has led to a huge number of dead fish in several sections of river Fuhe since Monday afternoon, local authorities said.
Around 100,000 kilograms of dead fish has been cleared from 40 km of the Fuhe river in the suburbs of Wuhan City, Xinhua cited local government investigations as revealing.
Samplings of the drain outlet of the Hubei Shuanghuan Science and Technology Stock Company showed that ammonia density reached 196 mg per litre Tuesday morning, far in excess of the national standard, according to the provincial environmental protection department.
The chemical manufacturer, based in Yingcheng, Xiaogan City, is listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.
The provincial environmental protection department has ordered the company to suspend operations and rectify its pollution control facilities.
The incident has cast a shadow over the local village in Wuhan, where most of the 2,000 villagers live by fishing in the Fuhe.