Tanker Crash In Russia's Lena River Likely Caused 90-Tonne Oil Spill - Regional Governor

Up to 90 tonnes of oil products may have spilled into the Lena River in Russia's Eastern Siberia after the collision of two oil tankers, with an oil slick already affecting several settlements, the governor of the Irkutsk Region, Igor Kobzev, said on Tuesday

IRKUTSK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th June, 2023) Up to 90 tonnes of oil products may have spilled into the Lena River in Russia's Eastern Siberia after the collision of two oil tankers, with an oil slick already affecting several settlements, the governor of the Irkutsk Region, Igor Kobzev, said on Tuesday.

On Monday, two oil tankers collided on the Lena River near the village of Alekseevsk. As a result of the accident, a tank containing more than 100 tonnes of fuel was damaged, some of which spilled into the river. No one was injured, and the crew of the tanker immediately began to clean up the consequences of the collision. Later that day, the Russian Investigative Committee opened a criminal case into the accident.

"In the morning, I held an extraordinary meeting of the emergency commission. Together with colleagues, we discussed the issues of eliminating the consequences of the collision of two tankers on the Lena River. According to preliminary information, 60 to 90 tonnes of (gasoline brand) AI-92 may have spilled into the water.

At the moment, an oil spill has passed several settlements, where working groups have been formed," the governor wrote on Telegram.

These groups would monitor the situation on the ground and prevent people from using water from the river, Kobzev added.

Later on Tuesday, the head of Russia's Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources, Svetlana Radionova, said that the river was flowing fast during the accident, so the oil from the damaged tanker had already spread far down the river.

Later in the day, the governor said there were so far no signs of an oil slick in the river.

"At the moment, there are no signs of an oil slick in the waters and no smell. There have been no complaints from people living in the areas down the Lena River," Kobzev wrote on Telegram.

He added that the authorities would continue monitoring the quality of water in the river to ensure safety of people and animals in the affected area.