Seven held for polluting river in China

Seven people have been detained for polluting a river in China, police said.

A man surnamed Gong, 34, owner of an ore-processing company that has been identified as the source of the pollution, was confirmed to be responsible for the contamination of the Hejiang river, Xinhua reported.

Police investigation found that Gong had secretly converted the qualified ore-processing plant and illegally installed a production line in May.

The plant discharged effluents containing toxic cadmium and thallium near the river without treatment or disposal, resulting in the pollution of the river, police said.

Gong and six other suspects from the company were detained last Friday. Police are on the look out for a man surnamed Ling, who was in charge of the plant's production process.

Pollution was discovered in early July. Hazardous substances were detected after dead fish were spotted in a section of the river.