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Peru says oil spill caused by Tonga waves is an 'ecological disaster'
The foreign ministry said that the oil spill had harmed animal and plant life in protected zones over a combined area of some 18,000 square kilometers (6,950 square miles) around islands and fishing regions.
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Cleaning crews work to remove oil from a beach in the Peruvian province of Callao on January 19, 2022 after a spill which occurred during the offloading process of the Italian-flagged tanker (AFP/Carlos Mandujano)
A
n oil spill at a refinery in Peru during high waves caused by the explosion last weekend of a volcano in Tonga is an "ecological disaster," the Peruvian government said on Wednesday.
The foreign ministry said that the oil spill had harmed animal and plant life in protected zones over a combined area of some 18,000 square kilometers (6,950 square miles) around islands and fishing regions.
The spill from a tanker that was unloading crude at Spanish oil company Repsol's La Pampilla refinery was blamed on unusually large waves after the massive undersea volcano explosion in Tonga some 10,000 km (6,213 miles) away triggered tsunami warnings across the Pacific Ocean.
The ministry called on Repsol to pay for the incident.
"This is the worst ecological disaster that has occurred around Lima in recent times and has seriously damaged hundreds of fishermen's families. Repsol must immediately compensate for the damage," the ministry said on Twitter.
Peruvian prosecutors opened an investigation into a unit of Repsol due to the incident.
Environment Minister Ruben Ramirez met with Repsol's officials and said that around 6,000 barrels of oil were spilled, according to the company.
The spill happened on Saturday at the refinery off the town of Ventanilla in the Lima region, affecting a three-kilometer stretch of beaches.
Refinery officials originally described the spill as "limited" and said it was working with authorities to clean up the beaches.
"Containment barriers that cover all of the affected zones and brigades with specialist sea and land teams have been deployed," said the refinery, which blamed the spill on the freak waves caused by the volcanic eruption more than 10,000 kilometers away.
The refinery could face a fine of up to $34.5 million, the environment ministry said on Monday as prosecutors opened an investigation into the company for environmental contamination.
On Tuesday, the energy and mining regulation body Osinergmin ordered the suspension of operations at the refinery pending an investigation into the causes of the spill.
La Pampilla is Peru's largest refinery and supplies more than half of the local fuel market.
