A major river which flows into the East China Sea could be polluted following the chemical plant blasts in Zhejiang Province Thursday.

At least two people were missing and another was injured in the blasts which occurred at 8:00 AM in the Longxin Chemical Plant in the city of Longquan in the mountainous Lishui region of southern Zhejiang.

The plant is located near the Longquan Spring which is the source of Zhejiang's second longest waterway -- the Oujiang.River.

The 384-kilometer Oujiang River meanders through some 18,100 square kilometers of land in an area which has 4.69 million inhabitants.

The spring flows into the reservoirs of two hydropower stations, joins the Oujiang River and flows through the urban areas of Lishui and Wenzhou city before it enters the East China Sea.

Large amounts of sand and rubble were trucked to the site in an effort to stem the intake of the spring and prevent any water from contaminating the river, project workers said.

Longxin Chemical Plant produces hydrogen peroxide commonly used in bleaching, antiseptics and deodorants. Industrial hydrogen peroxide contains arsenic, heavy metals and other toxic ingredients which can be harmful.

The cause of the blasts and what impacts they'll have on the environment are being investigated.

(China.org.cn, Xinhua News Agency June 16, 2006)