HANOI: More than 100 tonnes of clams have perished in central Vietnam, state media reported on Thursday, as public outrage mounts over a possible toxic leak into the sea near an industrial zone.

Piles of dead molluscs have been found in the same coastal region where dead fish began washing up on beaches earlier this month, sparking alarm and hammering the local fishing economy.

Clam farmers in Ha Tinh province wept over their staggering losses that occurred just ahead of harvest time, state-run Tuoi Tre News reported.

“We had held a lot of hope about the (clam) harvest,” local farmer Tran Thi Lua reportedly said. “Many traders had even paid a deposit to buy my clams, but now all hopes have been shattered.”

Vietnamese authorities have banned the trade and consumption of the clams while their investigation is ongoing, as concerns grow that toxic chemicals have leaked into the water from nearby industrial plants.

“To ensure environmental hygiene, food safety and to protect people’s health, the Prime Minister asked ministries and localities to... collect and immediately deal with the dead aquaproducts,” the government said in a statement late on Wednesday.

The area in Ha Tinh province is home to a large steel mill run by a Taiwanese conglomerate, Formosa. The company has a long history of environmental scandals spanning across the globe.

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2016