2016 Vietnam marine life disaster
2016 water pollution crisis in central Vietnam / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2016 Vietnam marine life disaster was a water pollution crisis affecting Hà Tĩnh, Quảng Bình, Quảng Trị and Thừa Thiên–Huế provinces in central Vietnam.
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Date | 6 April 2016 (2016-04-06) |
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Location | Hà Tĩnh, Quảng Bình, Quảng Trị and Thừa Thiên–Huế provinces, Vietnam |
Cause | Large source of toxin from factory complex of Formosa Ha Tinh Company. |
Deaths | 1 diver + 115 tons of dead fish drift along the coast, 140 tons of fish and 67 tons of clam raised |
Non-fatal injuries | 450 hectares of coral reefs have been damaged from 40 to 60% |
Suspects | Formosa Ha Tinh Steel |
Fish carcasses were reported to have washed up on the beaches of Hà Tĩnh province from at least 6 April 2016.[1] Later, a large number of dead fish were found on the coast of Hà Tĩnh and three other provinces (Quảng Bình, Quảng Trị and Thừa Thiên–Huế) until 18 April 2016.[2] Formosa Ha Tinh Steel, a steel plant built by the Taiwanese corporation Formosa Plastics, discharged toxic industrial waste illegally into the ocean through drainage pipes.[3] After denying responsibility for months, Formosa accepted responsibility for the fish deaths on 30 June 2016.[4]
The massive marine life destruction led to a number of protests by Vietnamese citizens in some cities on 1 May 2016, calling for a cleaner environment and demanding transparency in the investigation process.[5]