Emergency declared after Galapagos Islands fuel spill
The incident resulted in the spillage of as much as 600 gallons (around 2,200 litres) of stored diesel into the ocean.
Authorities are scrambling to contain the damage from a fuel spill off the coast of the ecologically-sensitive Galapagos Islands.
Dramatic video emerged from the spill on Sunday, which occurred when a crane became imbalanced while loading a container onto a waiting barge off of San Cristobal, the eastern-most part of the Ecuadorian-owned archipelago. The incident caused the barge itself to overturn.
Ecuador's El Universo newspaper says no injuries have been reported (the video shows the barge's crew jumping to safety), but the incident resulted in the spillage of as much as 600 gallons (around 2,200 litres) of stored diesel into the ocean.
The spill has raised fears of environmental damage to the Galapagos, 97 per cent of which is a national park.
The provincial government declared a state of emergency Sunday as a result of the incident, and has deployed oil barriers and other measures to keep the spill from spreading. Ecuadorian president Lenin Moreno said Monday the situation is under control.
The islands are a biodiversity hot spot, hosting a wide range of species, many of which are found nowhere else on Earth. Its unique ecology was studied by British naturalist Charles Darwin during a visit in 1835, influencing theories on evolution outlined in his landmark thesis "The Origin of Species." It is a World Heritage Site.
