Zambia Plays Down Health Risks After US Warning on Mine Disaster

Zambia played down the potential health risks stemming from an environmental disaster at a mine controlled by a state-owned Chinese firm, after the US ordered the immediate withdrawal of its officials from the southern African nation’s second-biggest city.

A waste dam collapsed at a copper mine owned by a local unit of China Nonferrous Mining Co. in February, spilling about 50 million liters (13 million gallons) of toxic sludge into a stream that ultimately flows into the Zambezi River. The US Embassy on Wednesday said newly available information revealed the extent of hazardous contamination, prompting it to evacuate personnel from the Kitwe area in the northern Copperbelt province.