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State of emergency in Norilsk after 20,000 tons of diesel leaks into Arctic river system

By 0 and 0 and 0
02 June 2020

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The exact reason of the leak is yet to be established, but a statement from Norilsk Nickel company, which operates the site suggests it could have been caused - worryingly - by collapsing permafrost. Picture of a 'river of fuel' from social media 

A state of emergency was introduced in Norilsk, Russia’s nickel capital, after almost 20,000 tons of diesel burst out of a reserve fuel tank at the TPP-3 industrial site. 

The fuel was stored there to ensure continuous supply to the power plant in case of an interruption in gas supplies.

The leak was on 29 May in the Kayerkan district of Norilsk, and the pictures show its dramatic impact. 

The exact reason of the leak is yet to be established, but a statement from Norilsk Nickel company, which operates the site suggests it could have been caused - worryingly - by collapsing permafrost. 

‘Due to sudden subsidence of supports which served for more than 30 years without problems, the diesel fuel storage tank was damaged, resulting in a fuel leak’, said a statement from Norilsk Nickel, the world's largest producer of palladium and Russia’s leading nickel mining and smelting company.

A car driving outside the storage depot caught fire due to contact with leaked fuel, prompting initial reports about the vehicle had crashed into it, causing a fire and leak. 

State of emergency in Norilsk after 20,000 tons of diesel leaks into Arctic river system


State of emergency in Norilsk after 20,000 tons of diesel leaks into Arctic river system


State of emergency in Norilsk after 20,000 tons of diesel leaks into Arctic river system


State of emergency in Norilsk after 20,000 tons of diesel leaks into Arctic river system

60km long Ambarnaya River flows into Lake Pyasino; the Pyasina River outflows this lake into the Kara Sea, part of the Arctic Ocean. Pictures: social media, The Siberian Times


Marine rescuers from Murmansk were flown into Norilsk to help mitigate consequences of the ecological catastrophe.

Diesel leaked into the 60km long Ambarnaya River which flows into Lake Pyasino.

The Pyasina River outflows this lake into the Kara Sea, part of the Arctic Ocean.

State of emergency in Norilsk after 20,000 tons of diesel leaks into Arctic river system. Video from a local residents shows the extent of pollution as he dips a piece of newspaper into a mixture of river water and fuel, and sets it on fire. Pictures: Norilsk Nickel, Svetlana Radionova


State of emergency in Norilsk after 20,000 tons of diesel leaks into Arctic river system


State of emergency in Norilsk after 20,000 tons of diesel leaks into Arctic river system


State of emergency in Norilsk after 20,000 tons of diesel leaks into Arctic river system


State of emergency in Norilsk after 20,000 tons of diesel leaks into Arctic river system


State of emergency in Norilsk after 20,000 tons of diesel leaks into Arctic river system

Comments (18)

Woow!!! Es increíble que sigan cometiendo este tipo de tragedias , ésto si se debería pagar con cárcel pero como siempre estás cosas se pasan por un error menor y estás empresas salen libradas.
Argelia Escamilla, México
03/06/2020 18:52
5
1
There are still ill effects coming from the exon valdez oil spill in southern alaska that happen in the 90`s.
That was crude oil.I don`t know what the differance would be though.
james, alaska
03/06/2020 03:56
11
0
Yeah sure, blame it on permafrost, when the tanks should have been monitored, maintained and upgraded to ensure this never happened.
SteveC, Odessa FL USA
02/06/2020 19:58
31
28
12

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