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.

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