The Canadian company that runs the main gold mine in Kyrgyzstan, Cameco, has accused journalists of exaggerating the damage caused by the spillage of sodium cyanide near Issik Kul two weeks ago.

Kyrgyz officials claim more than three-hundred people have been treated for poisoning, and some reports link the spill with the death of a woman.

The BBC Central Asia correspondent says the accident has sent the media into a frenzy, some likening the disaster to the nuclear explosions at Hiroshima.

She quotes independent scientists as saying that sodium cyanide dilutes quickly in most circumstances.

Cameco has promised compensation to anyone affected.