More than 2,000 people, including many children, have fallen ill after toxic waste was dumped in a Malaysian river and emitted hazardous fumes over a wide area, an official said Friday.

About 200 schools and nurseries have been closed in the affected area in southern Johor state after a lorry dumped the waste last week. People who inhaled the fumes suffered from nausea and vomiting, and a handful were left in critical condition.

The number of those needing medical treatment has been slowly rising since the crisis began and on Friday the figure stood at 2,355, including 113 still in hospital, local lawmaker Sahruddin Jamal told AFP.

No one has died.

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad visited victims in hospital on Thursday and praised the response of emergency workers.

"They have done their job well even though such a case has never occurred (here)," he said, according to official news agency Bernama.

The military has been deployed along with hazardous waste experts, wearing protective suits and masks, to respond to the emergency and clean up the river near the industrial town of Pasir Gudang.

Local media have reported the waste was a type of oil commonly used to lubricate ship's engines which emitted methane and benzene fumes. Up to 40 tonnes of the toxic substance is believed to have been tipped into the river.

Three men have been arrested over the dumping of the waste and face up to five years in jail if convicted of breaking environmental protection laws.

Related Links
Our Polluted World and Cleaning It Up

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

'Dangerious materials' in sunken cargo ship off France: authorities
Brest, France (AFP) March 13, 2019
French authorities said Wednesday that an Italian cargo ship which sank in the Atlantic was carrying 45 containers of "dangerous materials." "For now the possible pollution risk consists mainly of the 2,200 tons of heavy fuel oil onboard," Jean-Louis Lozier, head of the regional maritime authority, told reporters in Brest on France's Brittany coast. The "Grande America" was en route from Hamburg, Germany, to Casablanca in Morocco when a fire broke out late Sunday. All 27 people onboard were ... read more