Property damage and business interruption

1.4, chemical spill

Australia: a chemical spill in the Broughton River was described as the worst environmental disaster in history for the Charters Towers region in north Queensland. Land-holders along the river use it for drinking water and reported having upset stomachs at the end of January. The Queensland Minister for Sustainability, Andrew McNamara, confirmed that dangerous levels of cadmium, copper, manganese and zinc had been washed into the river system from a nearby disused mine site. The State Government estimates the damage bill at A$45.0mn.