Authorities in central China have suspended two officials and detained the head of a chemical plant after villagers protested at pollution that had allegedly killed two people, state media said Sunday.
The suspension Saturday of the chief and one deputy chief of Liuyang county's environmental protection department came after about 1,000 people took to the streets last week over the plant, the Xinhua news agency reported.
Authorities also detained the legal representative from the plant, which locals have accused of emitting toxic heavy metals such as cadmium, putting the safety of the drinking water at risk, according to Xinhua.
The news agency said it was not able to obtain the names of the two officials and the plant's representative.
It said villagers in the county, in China's densely populated Hunan province, had been protesting since the death over two months ago of two people who were later found to have excessive levels of cadmium in their bodies.
The protests culminated last week, when demonstrators gathered outside local government headquarters and a police station in the town of Zhentou, part of Liuyang county.
They demanded free health check-ups, free medical treatment and compensation for ruined crops and land.
Six of them were detained in the protests, Xinhua said, without explaining if they were later released.
Xinhua earlier quoted Hunan officials as saying the plant had been plagued by environmental problems since opening in 2004 and was ordered to close in March of this year.
Rapid economic growth in recent decades and routine flouting of rules have taken their toll on China's environment, activists say.
China sees tens of thousands of public protests each year, many tied to anger over polluting industries.
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