Peru’s government has revealed that an oil spill off the Peruvian coast earlier this month, caused by the Tongan tsunami, was twice as big as initially thought
The country’s environment minister Ruben Ramirez said that almost 12,000 barrels of oil leaked into the sea on 15 January, causing oceans to turn black.
Officials described the spill as an “ecological disaster” which could then be blamed for the deaths of local fish and seabirds, impacted by the spill.
It happened when a tanker at the La Pampilla refinery was hit by waves linked to a volcanic eruption and Tsunami in Tonga.
The site, located about 30km north of Lima, is owned by Spanish oil company Repsol
The Peru government has demanded compensation and prosecutors have opened an investigation into Repsol’s role in the incident.
A judge has since granted a request to bar four executives from the firm leaving the country for 18 months amid the ongoing investigation.
