Oil pipe leak blamed for tainted water in China

Bejing - Chinese state media say an oil pipe leak has caused excessive levels of the toxic chemical benzene in a major city's tap water.

The official Xinhua News Agency said on Saturday that a crude oil pipeline run by the state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation had a leak that tainted the source water feeding a local water plant in the northwestern city of Lanzhou.

Xinhua says the leak has affected 2.4 million people.

The city of Lanzhou says it has been monitoring levels of benzene in its water pipes to ensure public safety.

The incident could raise concerns on the maintenance of China's oil pipes.

Last year, a ruptured oil pipeline resulted in explosions in the eastern city of Qingdao, killing 47.