6 months after toxic mine spill in northern Zambia, US Embassy orders personnel out of the area

Key Points

• The U.S. Embassy in Zambia has ordered all government personnel to evacuate a northern region affected by a toxic mine spill from six months ago.
• Newly revealed pollution includes hazardous substances like arsenic and cyanide that contaminated local water systems and may become airborne.
• The spill was caused by a collapsed tailings dam at a mine operated by Sino-Metals Leach Zambia, releasing approximately 50 million liters of toxic waste into the Kafue River system.
• Immediate environmental impacts included the death of fish observed up to 100 kilometers downstream, threatening the well-being of millions living along the river.

LUSAKA, Zambia (AP) — The United States Embassy in Zambia ordered all U.S. government personnel Wednesday to leave a region in the north of the country affected by a toxic spill from a Chinese-owned mine that happened six months ago.

The embassy said in an alert on social media that new information revealed that “hazardous and carcinogenic substances” including arsenic, cyanide, uranium and other heavy metals had polluted a major river system flowing through the town of Chambishi and the nearby city of Kitwe, and had possibly become airborne, following an accident at the mine in February.

The embassy didn't immediately say how many U.S. government personnel were in the copper mining area. It also advised other U.S. citizens in the area to take precautions against exposure to harmful heavy metal contamination in water and food.

Around 700,000 people live in Kitwe, one of Zambia’s biggest cities and a hub for international mining companies.

Environmentalists and others raised concerns over the extent of the damage months ago following the spill at the mine run by Sino-Metals Leach Zambia, a division of China's state-owned China Nonferrous Metal Mining group. China is the dominant player in copper mining in Zambia, which is one of the world's biggest producers.

The spill happened when a tailings dam that holds acidic and heavy metals waste from the mine collapsed, according to investigators from the Engineering Institution of Zambia, resulting in some 50 million liters (13.2 million gallons) of toxic materials flowing into the Kafue River system.

Within days of the spill, dead fish could be seen up to 100 kilometers (60 miles) downstream, raising fears that the contamination could affect millions living along the Kafue River, which runs for 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) through the heart of the southern African country.

Sino-Metals apologized and committed to help with cleanup efforts, which included the Zambian Air Force dumping hundreds of tons of lime into the river in an attempt to counteract the acidic waste.

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