Hundreds of workers in northern China are trying to contain a pipeline leak that has spilled diesel fuel into a major tributary of the Yellow River.
About 150,000 litres of diesel poured into the Wei river in Shaanxi province after a construction accident on Wednesday, state media reported.
Pollution has been reported up to 33km (21 miles) downstream. Locals have been warned not to use water from the river. The Yellow River is a source of drinking water for millions of people.
In 2005, a chemical spill in the Songhua river in the north-eastern province of Heilongjiang cut off water supplies to 4 million residents.
The leak occurred on the fuel pipeline operated by the state-run China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) that connects Lanzhou in the north-west province of Gansu with Zhengzhou in central Henan province, according to the China Daily newspaper.
The diesel first went into the Chishui river, a tributary of the Wei.
Around 700 emergency workers are said to be labouring round the clock, using floating dams and solidifying agents to contain the spill.
Their task has been helped by the current cold weather in the region.
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