Major oilspill hits west Russia (BBC)

[Eugene]

Last Updated: Monday, 31 July 2006, 10:49 GMT 11:49 UK

Major oilspill hits west Russia

An oilspill has polluted a wide area in the Bryansk region of western Russia
and could lead to an "environmental catastrophe", Russian officials say.

The leak happened on one of Russia's largest export pipelines, Russia's natural
resources ministry said.

The contaminated area, in the Surozh district, is reported to be about 10sq km
(3.9 sq miles), affecting forests, rivers and lakes.

The cause of the spill on the Druzhba pipeline was not immediately known.

-snip-

Full article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5230952.stm

According to related AP article, Conflicting Reports on Russian Oil Spill,
the pipeline operator is playing the incident down.

[NNadir]

1. CNN says it's catastrophic.

MOSCOW, Russia (AP) -- A serious oil spill has occurred on one of Russia's largest export pipelines near the border with Ukraine and Belarus, the Natural Resources Ministry said Monday, warning it could cause an environmental disaster.

"Judging by information reaching the ministry from representatives of environmental organizations ... the consequences of the accident may be an environmental catastrophe in the region," a statement said...

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/07/31/russia.oilspill.ap/index.html