5 detained on suspicion of dumping marine fuel waste in Keelung River

Keelung, Dec. 12 (CNA) Prosecutors on Friday detained five members of a company that processes fuel byproducts from cargo ships on suspicion of dumping pollutants into the Keelung River in late November.

The detentions relate to the Nov. 27 contamination of the water supply serving an estimated 105,000 households in Keelung and 47,000 in New Taipei's Xizhi District.

Following the incident, the Keelung city's Bureau of Environmental Protection reviewed surveillance footage and found a truck from the company entering and leaving the area next to a storm drain near Yuanyuan Road.

The bureau said it has turned the footage over to prosecutors to clarify whether it is connected to the water supply contamination.

According to prosecutors, the company is suspected of having illegally stored and discharged waste.