Six jailed over chemical leak in Shanghai

Six people, including managers of two companies, have been sentenced between two to five years in prison for a chemical leak in China's business hub of Shanghai.

The Jinshan District People's Court handed down first-instance verdicts to the six people, who were convicted of transporting and unloading dangerous articles at a pier intended only for ordinary cargo, Xinhua reported Wednesday.

Wang Jinlong, a legal representative of a chemical company in Nanjing in neighbouring Jiangsu province, was sentenced to five years in jail. Xi Jianping, general manager of a Shanghai trading company, was sentenced to three years.

Liu Agui, a contractor for the pier where the leak occurred, received three and a half years in jail. Three crew members of the vessel loading the material received jail sentences of two to four years.

About 52 tonnes of carbon 9 leaked into the Jueshigang river near Jinzhang Road while Wang's company was receiving 500 tonnes of the chemical, which was purchased from Xi's company Jan 10 of this year.

The leak later polluted the Huangpu river, a major drinking water source for Shanghai. The contamination caused tap water supplies to be cut in nearby areas and resulted in the hospitalisation of 46 residents due to air and water pollution caused by the leak, the court said.