Russia said on Tuesday it would work with China to contain a river-borne toxic slick caused by an explosion at a Chinese chemical plant that is expected to hit Russian territory this week.
President Vladimir Putin said he and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao agreed to boost co-operation after the explosion on November 13 poured 100 tonnes of cancer-causing benzene compounds into the Songhua river.
The Songhua, known as Sungari in Russia, flows into the Amur river, which forms a natural border between the two countries and then flows into Russian territory.
"We agreed to work jointly to fix the consequences of this catastrophe and on further co-operation in protecting the environment," Russian news agencies quoted Putin as saying on the fringes of an Asian summit in Kuala Lumpur.
The RIA Novosti news agency quoted the head of Russia's far eastern meteorological service as saying that the slick would reach Russian territory by December 15 and the city of Khabarovsk by December 21.
The authorities in Khabarovsk are preparing for the arrival of the slick and have bought special filters to prevent benzene getting into the city's water system.
Russian experts say that by the time the slick reaches Russian territory, it may be significantly less toxic than it was upstream.
"China feels genuinely upset about what had happened," Russian news agencies quoted a Kremlin source as saying after the Putin-Wen meeting.
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