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Toxic mine leak in Zambia, residents sue Chinese company for $420 million
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Release time：2025-09-05
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According to reports, the leak occurred in February and involved highly acidic waste and toxic heavy metals.
According to Bloomberg, after a toxic substance leak occurred at a mine in Zambia, local residents demanded compensation of 420 million USD (9.98 trillion Zambian kwacha) from the Chinese state-owned enterprise China Metallurgical Zambia Company.
It is reported that the leak occurred in February, involving highly acidic waste and toxic heavy metals, potentially becoming one of the world's most severe mining disasters. Two law firms, Malisa & Partners Legal Practitioners and Malambo & Co., have sent claims letters to the hydrometallurgical company on behalf of the affected communities. The former seeks 220 million USD to help relocate 47 households in the Kalusale community near the contaminated area and to cover medical testing and treatment costs. The latter demands 200 million USD to establish an emergency fund for their clients. Both the US and Chinese governments have issued statements regarding the incident. Although the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs acknowledged the company's cooperation with the Zambian government to resolve the issue, Zambian authorities initially downplayed the risks.
Drizit Environmental, an environmental impact assessment company hired by the Chinese hydrometallurgical company, estimated that up to 1.5 million tons of waste were generated. However, Sino Metals terminated Drizit's contract citing breach of contract and questioned the assessment methods. Drizit insists that about 900,000 cubic meters of toxic tailings remain in the environment, containing harmful substances that pose significant health risks. The report states: "These materials contain hazardous concentrations of cyanide, arsenic, copper, zinc, lead, chromium, cadmium, and other pollutants, posing significant long-term health risks including organ damage, birth defects, and cancer." Due to these risks, various embassies have warned their citizens to avoid the area.
After initially remaining silent, the Zambian government has confirmed the detection of dangerous levels of heavy metals in water samples but has yet to respond to the latest compensation demands.
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