Vietnamese mining firm suspended after sludge disaster
The environment ministry has suspended the operation of a titanium-zinc mining company whose waste reservoir broke last week, releasing a large amount of toxic sludge into a resort and the sea in the central province of Binh Thuan, VnExpress has reported.
Tan Quang Cuong Company in Ham Thuan Nam District will be closed for three months, according to Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Nguyen Linh Ngoc.
The ministry also ordered the company to quickly clean up the areas affected by the disaster and compensate those affected.
 |
| A file photo shows the waste reservoir of a titanium-zinc mining company in Binh Thuan Province breaking on June 16, 2016. |
If it fails to do so, its mining license will be revoked permanently, Ngoc said in a note.
Early on June 16, the thick waves of sludge from the 3,000-square-meter waste reservoir of the company permeated the Hieu Nam Beach Resort and found its way to the beach.
The sludge also swept away a local farmer's 8,000 square meters of crops.
No injuries were reported.
Local authorities and the company managed to block the flow of the sludge in the morning.
They said the environmental damage caused by the incident had yet to be calculated.
