INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Authorities in Russias Krasnoyarsk region stated Friday that nearly 80 metric tons of diesel fuel spilled into the Yenisei River last month,
triggering an estimated 1.2 billion rubles ($15.3 million) in environmental damage.The June 8 spill happened after a vessel pulling two
barges struck an underwater barrier and ran aground, private investigators stated
The effect caused the barges to detach and burst the ships hull, leading to a significant fuel leak.Krasnoyarsks Deputy Ecology Minister
Yulia Gumenyuk said 79.3 tons of diesel were discharged into the river.The business operating the vessel, the Tyumen-based Ob-Irtysh River
Shipping Company, was charged with violating environmental protection laws, according to Gumenyuk
It has30 days to pay damages to the regional government.Initial reports estimated 30 lots of diesel had actually spilled into the Yenisei
River, polluting up to 50 kilometers (31 miles) of shoreline
A second leak occurred on June 21 as emergency workers tried to raise the wreckage.Gumenyuk stated recent water samples showed contamination
levels in the river had gone back to within acceptable limits.The Yenisei River, which starts in northern Mongolia and clears into the
Arctic Ocean, extends 3,487 kilometers (2,167 miles), making it the fifth-longest river system on the planet.
