Workers retrieve a chemical container from the Songhua River at the Wukeshu Dock in Yushu City, northeast China's Jilin Province, July 29, 2010. (Xinhua/Zhou Changqing)

Some 5016 of the 7,000 chemical barrels that were swept into a major river in northeast China's Jilin Province Wednesday had been recovered as of 7:00 p.m. Saturday.

But local authorities said it was still not immediately clear how many of the retrieved barrels contained chemicals.

Some 3,000 full barrels and 4,000 empty ones were swept into the Wende River and on to the Songhua River after floods hit warehouses of two chemical factories in Jilin City, Jilin Province, early Wednesday.

Jilin provincial government has vowed to recover all containers before they flow to lower reaches of the Songhua River. 

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4,260 of 7,000 chemical barrels retrieved from river in NE China

CHANGCHUN/HARBIN, July 31 (Xinhua) -- About 4,260 of the 7,000 chemical barrels that were swept into a major river in northeast China's Jilin Province Wednesday had been recovered by noon Saturday, local authorities said. Full story

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Nearly 3,000 chemical barrels retrieved from major river of NE China

CHANGCHUN, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Local authorities said 2,978 barrels have been retrieved as of noon time Friday after they were swept by rain-triggered floods into the Songhua River in northeast China.

About 4,000 others were still to be recovered, said officials with Jilin Provincial Government. Full story

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