Oil spill in Ecuador river brings emergency declaration / Photo: Handout - MUNICIPALITY of ESMERALDAS/AFP
-
Trump freezes US-funded media outlets including Voice of America
-
Wales boss Sherratt 'devastated' for his players after England humiliation
-
US strikes kill nine in Yemen as Trump vows to end Huthi attacks
-
Trump freezes VOA, Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe
-
Major storm in central US leaves at least 18 dead
-
Real Madrid will never play with under 72 hours rest again: Ancelotti
-
Mbappe double at Villarreal takes 'exhausted' Real Madrid top
-
Teen sensation Andreeva takes aim at top-ranked Sabalenka in Indian Wells
-
Macron wants 'clear pressure' on Moscow to accept ceasefire
-
Reijnders saves Milan as Dele Alli sent off on Como debut
-
Shein says US tariff hit won't stop fast-fashion flood
-
Ten-try England rout sorry Wales to stay in Six Nations title hunt
-
US strikes Yemen's Huthis as Trump vows end to shipping threat
-
France face win-or-bust Six Nations duel with Scotland after England rout Wales
-
Bayern draw keeps title door ajar as Dortmund lose to Leipzig
-
Francis still requires therapy, Vatican says, as pope looks ahead to 2028
-
Mbappe double at Villarreal takes Real Madrid top
-
Mumbai beat Delhi to clinch second WPL title
-
England stay in Six Nations title hunt with Wales rout
-
Guardiola backs Man City to overcome anxiety in European race
-
Marc Marquez beats brother in Argentina MotoGP sprint
-
Latest power outage leaves Cubans struggling to get by
-
US Democrats fume as some in party cave to Trump on spending bill
-
Ireland squeeze past Italy to stay in Six Nations title hunt
-
Oil spill in Ecuador river brings emergency declaration
-
Man City stumble, Forest soar in Champions League chase
-
Man City held by Brighton to leave Champions League hopes in balance
-
Ireland keep Six Nations title hopes alive as focus switches to Cardiff and Paris
-
Bayern held at Union Berlin to leave title door ajar
-
Amid tensions, Canada says reviewing purchase of US jets
-
Major storm in central US leaves at least 14 dead: officials
-
Deadly Israeli strikes mar fragile Gaza truce
-
Ratcliffe would walk away from Man Utd if abuse reaches Glazer level
-
Telegram founder Durov allowed to temporarily leave France
-
UN considering humanitarian channel from Bangladesh to Myanmar
-
Brazilians sentenced in beating death of Congolese migrant
-
Australian Storer wins penultimate Paris-Nice stage in the snow
-
Romania excludes second far-right poll hopeful
-
Marc Marquez storms to record Argentina MotoGP pole
-
Tens of thousands rally in Serbia's capital for anti-graft rally
-
'Incredible' Odermatt sweeps to fourth overall and giant slalom titles
-
Telegram founder Durov allowed to temporarily leave France: sources
-
Pope Francis receiving 'surge' in mail, says Italian post
-
Paris-Nice contender Skjelmose hospitalised after fall
-
Barca's Flick demands 'focus' ahead of crunch Atletico clash
-
Swiss skier Odermatt wins fourth overall crystal globe
-
Zelensky denies troops surrounded in Kursk as Russia retakes villages
-
Ohtani hits home run in Dodgers' Tokyo exhibition game
-
Ohtani fever heats up in Dodgers' Tokyo exhibition game
-
France launches manslaughter probe against TotalEnergies over Mozambique attack
NYSE - LSE
Oil spill in Ecuador river brings emergency declaration
An oil spill in northwestern Ecuador has turned a river black, prompting authorities to declare an environmental emergency amid "unprecedented" damage and to order residents to ration drinking water, officials said.
The spill, believed caused when a landslide ruptured a major oil pipeline, has turned waters black in a section of the Esmeraldas River, in the province of the same name.
The Emergency Operations Committee in the provincial capital, also called Esmeraldas, declared the environmental emergency.
Vilko Villacis, mayor of the city of more than 200,000 inhabitants, said the leak had caused "unprecedented" damages. His office halted the diversion of river water to an aqueduct supplying the city, and urged citizens to ration water.
On Friday, state-owned Petroecuador said it was working to address the emergency at the pipeline, part of the Trans-Ecuadoran Pipeline System (SOTE) which transports crude oil from the Amazon.
The company has not estimated the volume of oil spilled.
Ecuador last year produced 475,000 barrels of crude a day, exporting 72 percent of the total.
The SOTE is the most used pipeline system in the country, with the capacity to transport 360,000 barrels per day on the 500-kilometer (310-mile) journey from the Amazon to the Pacific coast.
O.Norris--AMWN