Around 17,000 litres of an oily substance, probably crude oil, leaked into the Danube River from a tugboat anchored at the Malé Pálenisko transhipment terminal at Bratislava’s Winter Port on Tuesday, June 12. Early reports stated that the substance leaked from a damaged pumping tube, the TASR newswire reported.
A total of 19 fire engines and 39 firefighters were deployed to tackle the accident after the alarm was raised by an employee who was pumping the substance into the vessel early on Tuesday morning.
The oil leaked not only into the Danube River, but also into its tributary, the Little Danube, and was stopped by a barrier near the village of Zálesie, the Sme daily reported.
Meanwhile, police have launched a criminal investigation into a violation of water and air protection laws. Convicted persons could face a sentence of one to five years in prison, TASR wrote.
Sources: TASR, Sme
Compiled by Radka Minarechová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
