Ecuador has declared a national emergency in the Galapagos Islands after an oil spill just a half-mile (0.8 km) from the shore floated toward the westernmost islands, threatening some of the world's rarest sea animals and birds, officials said.
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The Jessica has
lost oil and diesel. |
"For us, this is the equivalent of an earthquake," said presidential spokesman Mr Alfredo Negrete, explaining that the state of emergency would let the government immediately channel the funds needed for cleanup.
The Galapagos Islands, 600 miles (1,000 km) west of Ecuador's coast in the Pacific Ocean, are home to hundreds of native species, including giant tortoises and iguanas, that evolved over thousands of years.
The spill started on Friday, when a pipe burst in the machine room of the Ecuadorean-registered boat Jessica, which had ran aground three days before on an embankment near Galapagos' capital and principal port, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on San Cristobal Island.
-Reuters