Chinese officials say they may dam a major river to stop a toxic chemical slick from reaching Russia, and the city of Khabarovsk.
The China Daily reports water ministry officials are doing a site survey to study the feasibility of the temporary dam project suggested by Russia.
China has for weeks been evaluating methods to deal with 100 metric tons of highly poisonous benzene that flowed into the the Songhua River after a chemical plant explosion November 13 in the city of Jilin.
The slick could reach the Russian border as soon as Sunday. It has already disrupted the normal flow of fresh water to millions of Chinese who live near the river.
Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.