Environmentalists in New Caledonia are in uproar after a major acid leak at the Vale Inco nickel plant killed thousands of fish and other species.
The incident happened last week while the company tested its new plant, which is expected to start operating mid year.
The World Wildlife Fund says the sulphuric acid killed thousands of fish in a nearby creek and in the World Heritage protected buffer area of Prony Bay.
Its local manager, Ehab Downer, says it's unacceptable.
"Thousands of fish have been collected by Vale Inco staff and by the southern province that came to assess the damage. This plant has been built in a biologically important area, very high endemism, so for them to suffer this sort of fate is really a major catastrophe."
Ehab Downer is calling on officials to withdraw the company's operating licence.
The environmentalist, Mike Hosken, agrees and says it may take years to establish the incident's full impact.
