Authorities in Vietnam's Thanh Hoa Province on Monday evening detected two wood processing enterprises that discharged effluent into the local Ma River, seemingly causing the recent mass fish die-off.

Officials and police in Ba Thuoc District investigated wood processing enterprises located along the Ma River on Monday.

During the inspection of the wastewater treatment systems across the companies, functional forces discovered Phu Thanh Forest Products Joint Stock Company and Tan Thai Thanh Co. Ltd. had illegally dumped untreated sewage into the river in Thiet Ke Commune.

According to Vo Minh Khoa, chairman of the Ba Thuoc People's Committee, authorities used an excavator to dig areas in Phu Thanh Forest Products Joint Stock Company and Tan Thai Thanh Co. Ltd., where the suspects put underground pipes to discharge untreated wastewater into the environment.

On Monday afternoon, representatives of the two businesses admitted this illegal act, Khoa added.

Relevant agencies took water samples for testing, thereby serving for handling violations of the businesses and requesting them to compensate fish farmers for this incident in accordance with the law.

Currently, Ba Thuoc District forces are further investigating three wood processing companies to find the cause of the mass fish deaths on the Ma River.

Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper had reported that 159 fishery households with 214 cages have reported severe losses from the mass fish deaths in Ba Thuoc District from March 15 to now.

More than 12 metric tons of farmed fish and nearly 400kg of wild fish on the Ma River have died.

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