US team to help with toxic spill

The US is sending experts to limit damage from the toxic spill in the Songhua River, which has disrupted water supplies to millions in China's northeast, AP reported. Announcing the deployment of an environmental impact assessment team, US Ambassador to China Clark T Randt expressed concern at Beijing's failure to react quickly enough to the spill caused by a chemical plant explosion November 13. The government didn't confirm the river was tainted with benzene until November 23. China has promised to work closely with Russia as the spill approaches the border. It is expected to reach Khabarovsk, a city with a population of 580,000, early next week.