A ship carrying more than 200 tons of concentrated sulfuric acid ran aground in east China, contaminating a 10th century canal, state media reported Friday.
Environmental officers poured 200 tons of liquid alkali into the waterway to neutralize the acid after the spill occurred early Wednesday in a section of the Grand Canal near Hangzhou city, Zhejiang province, Xinhua news agency said.
Navigation along the polluted section of the canal was banned for nearly 12 hours.
The vessel, which was two-thirds under water, would be removed from the historic canal on Friday, the report said.
Pollution of China's waterways was thrown into the global spotlight after a chemical factory explosion in the northeastern province of Jilin in November last year released 100 tons of benzene and nitrobenzene into the Songhua river, leaving up to four million people without tap water for days.
