SHANGHAI, Jun 11 (AP) -- China has fired or otherwise punished five officials for failing to prevent pollution blamed in a massive algae bloom in one of the country's biggest lakes, a newspaper reported Monday.

The punishments come even as China is preparing to try salesman-turned-environmentalist Wu Lihong, who had campaigned for years to stop the pollution in Lake Tai. Detained in April, Wu faces extortion charges that friends and family say were concocted to punish him for exposing local government inaction.

The officials punished included the head of Wu's native Zhoutie township and his deputy, the Oriental Morning Post said. It said the five were guilty of dereliction of duty and weak oversight of local industries.

The announcement came less than two weeks after the sudden outbreak of blue-green smothered the lake, forcing residents of the lakeside city of Wuxi to drink and bathe with bottled water.

Local officials drew criticism from state media and government experts for trying to blame the bloom on natural conditions, and for ignoring the pollution and its effects.

While famed for centuries for its beauty, the lake was also notoriously polluted from industries in the fast-developing region, 130 kilometers (80 miles) west of Shanghai.

Small, scattered chemical plants in the city of Yixing on the lake's western shore have become particularly notorious polluters.

The Oriental Morning Post said penalties ranged from a warning to loss of position, but did not say what official received what penalty. Others punished included the deputy chief of Yixing's environmental protection bureau, and two environmental officials in Zhoutie township.

The algae bloom lasted six days until it was flushed out by rain and water from the nearby Yangtze River.

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