More than 2,400 animals havereportedlydied in northern Colombia after an oil well burst into a major river in March . Hundreds of multitude continue without food or water , and70 familieshave been treated for medical complicatedness – emesis , headaches , and vertigo – associated with the spill .
“ I have practically nothing to eat . The entire life we had from the ( Magdalena ) river is now contaminated , ” one house physician toldFrance24 .
rock oil started leaking on March 2 and continued to do so for 22 days . Today , the spill stretch in two rivers near the city of Barrancabermeja , spreading 24 kilometers ( 15 mile ) down the Lizama river and 20 kilometers ( 12.5 miles ) down the Sogamoso . conservationist say it ’s theworstenvironmental calamity the area has seen in yr , but it ’s indecipherable how many barrels really spilled – reports lay out from600to24,000 .
" We are working 24 hours a day at the different checkpoints in Caño Muerto to assure the retrieval of this piss source . We will not spare any try until we do so , " enjoin Ecopetrol in a Tweet .
The nation - go oil companyEcopetrolhasreportedlybrought in equipment to blockade the spilling and says the wasteweir is under command and an probe underway , butNational Geographicreports locals say the earthy oil continue to flow into the Lizama and Sogamoso Rivers .
While the company say around 1,300 animals were rescued , more than 1,000 unlike species of Tree were affected . Among the 2,400 utter brute reclaim were fish , reptiles , birds , and livestock .
Located off the shore of the Magdalena River in Colombia ’s department of Santander , the oil refinery is the largest in the nation . Santander Governor Didier Tavera Amado publiclycriticizedthe oil company for its response – which admit three week – to the environmental emergency . consort toColombia Reports , the Prosecutor General ’s Office announce a criminal investigating into the ship’s company ’s aver neglect while the Environment Ministry enounce it could bring down sanctions after the company allegedly incorrectly reported the wasteweir was controlled presently after leaking .
