Oil spill into Brazilian river puts rare wildlife at risk

Brazil's biggest oil spill in 25 years is threatening wildlife in one of the most environmentally sensitive regions of the country.

Brazil's biggest oil spill in 25 years is threatening wildlife in one of the most environmentally sensitive regions of the country.

The accident, which occurred in the southern state of Parana, has left the eco-system of the Iguacu River in jeopardy from the effect of the five-mile wide slick.

An estimated one million litres of oil burst out of a ruptured pipe at a refinery belonging to the state-run oil company Petrobras.

Delcio Rodrigues, the Brazilian director of campaigns for Greenpeace, said: "The Iguacu supports a wide variety of animals. There are at least 12 species of fish that are found nowhere else in the country apart from in this river which is particularly worrying." Already, the bodies of 50 dead birds have been removed from the river, covered with oil. And emergency workers on the scene say that hundreds of fish may die as a result of the spill.

The accident is the second major oil disaster to hit Brazil this year. In January, just under a million litres of oil flooded into Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro. Jose Sarney Filho, Environment Minister, said: "We cannot allow a company the size of Petrobras to get away with at least two serious accidents in less than a year."

Petrobras have already been fined £19m by the government's environmental agency for the latest spillage.

A spokesman for Petrobras, admitted this latest disaster was "quite big".

One thousand emergency workers have managed to contain the worst of the spillage, using inflatable barriers and a vacuum power hose. However, environmentalists say it will take several days to ascertain the full extent of the damage on the river's eco-system. "We know that many birds have been affected, including kingfishers and herons, but it will be a few days before we can accurately assess the number of animals killed,' said Mr Rodrigues.