A Chinese copper plant at the center of a river pollution scandal reported a new leak Friday, but it capped the leak quickly and avoided exacerbating damage already done to a river, company sources said Saturday.

"Staff on duty at Zijinshan Copper Mine found a new leak at No. 3 waste tank at around 10:30 p.m. Friday. They took immediate action to cap it," Zijin Mining Group said in a statement.

About 500 cubic meters of plant waste was discharged.

A public company based in eastern Fujian Province, Zijin Mining Group is a leading Chinese gold producer.

It is under fire after 9,100 cubic meters of waste spewed from a blown-out waste tank at the Zijinshan Copper Mine into the Tingjiang River between 4 p.m. on July 3 and 2:30 p.m. on July 4. Zijinshan Copper Mine is a part of the Zijin Mining Group.

The group said it had suspended two mine officials in charge of environment protection from their jobs.

Three other company executives have been detained by public security authorities in Shanghang County, where the mine is located.

The scandal has also led to the sacking of three government officials, including a deputy county head and two environment officials.

The copper factory and local environmental protection authorities failed to detect the pollution because water quality monitoring facilities in the lower reaches of the Tingjiang River had been damaged.