Vietnam blames toxic waste water for mass fish deaths

There were demonstrations in Vietnam over the fish deaths

Toxic waste water from a huge steel plant run by Taiwanese Formosa Plastics caused massive fish deaths in April, Vietnam's government has said.

The fish deaths sparked mass public protests in May when activists demanded a government-led investigation.

Formosa Ha Tinh Steel admitted that toxic water released into the sea had caused the fish deaths, Vietnamese officials told a news conference.

The company has agreed to pay $500m (£371m) in compensation, they said.

Formosa Plastics' $10.6bn (£7.8bn) steel plant, located south of Hanoi, is one of the biggest investment projects in Vietnam.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc launched the investigation into the fish deaths three months ago after initial theories of blooming algae or "red tide" were dismissed.

The case has been seen as a test for his new government which came into power four months ago.

The mass die-off was caused by toxic waste water