BEIJING, November 24 (RIA Novosti) - About 100 tons of chemicals were released into the Songhua River following an accident in a Chinese petrochemicals plant on November 13, the deputy head of the Chinese Environmental Protection Administration said Thursday. Beijing insists that it informed Russia in good time about the spill into the Songhua River, which flows out of northeast China into the Amur River on the Russian-Chinese border and on through the Khabarovsk Region.
The official said Thursday at a press conference in Beijing that the petrochemicals would not reach the Amur River for another 14 days.
Judging by current data, the level of pollution will gradually decrease, he said.
"We have informed the Russian side in detail of the current state of affairs... We believe that there is still sufficient time," he said.
A state of emergency will be declared in the Khabarovsk Region as of November 25.
