SPAIN HIT BY HIGHLY TOXIC SPILL

[Anonymous]

Spain hit by highly toxic spill
Officials
in north-western Spain are struggling to contain a highly toxic
chemical river spill heading towards the Atlantic Ocean.The discharge
into the Umia River was caused by a fire at a chemical plant in the
Galicia region late last week.The three-kilometre (1.9 mile) long spill
is slowly moving down the river, killing fish and plants in its
path.The water supply to some 80,000 people has been cut off, and shell
fishing areas have been closed as a precaution.The turquoise-coloured
petroleum pollutant could reach the Atlantic Ocean in two days,
officials in Galicia estimate.They are building a series of dams to try
to stop the spill.The cause of the fire at the chemical plant is still
being investigated.The spill is a further blow to Galicia, which has
been ravaged by forest fires in recent weeks.At least 86,000 hectares
(212,000 acres) of Galicia’s forests have been destroyed by the fires
this year, many of which were started deliberately.The region was
devastated by a vast oil slick caused when the Prestige oil tanker sank
in 2002.

[Author]

September 5, 2006 at 11:38 AM