Near Miliang in Shaanxi province, the dike wall on a storage basin for gold mine tailings broke, releasing water containing potassium cyanide (KCN) into the HUASHUI River, which was polluted over a length of more than 5 km. The tides caused a landslide that destroyed some 20 homes at the foot of the dike and 17 people disappeared. The quantities of KCN spilled were not known.

Since product contents exceeded national criteria, local authorities requested neighbouring residents to refrain from drinking river water, and 5 cities located downstream were ordered to control water quality and organise potable water supplies for all affected residents. According to mine management, the search for the 17 disappeared only got underway 5 days after responding to the water pollution problem. Lime and bleach were poured in an attempt to reduce the cyanide concentrations by their oxidation into cyanate.