(9 Aug 1995) Spanish/Nat
Environmentalists fear an ecological disaster after oil from a refinery in Peru spilled into the Pacific Ocean.
The spill caused a 25-kilometre long slick off the Peruvian coast. Thousands of fish and sea birds are reported to have been killed.
Beaches in the vicinity of the state-owned Conchan refinery bear the scars of the oil spill.
Sixty-eight cubic metres of crude oil leaked into the sea after a hose from the Maltese tanker Ariete became detached during a storm on Saturday.
Many seabirds have been caught up and killed in the slick.
Inspecting the damage to wildlife at a beach near the capital, Lima's chief prosecutor Jose Ochoa said he was not ruling out prosecuting those responsible for the spill.
SOUNDBITE: (Spanish)
"...and to establish whether or not a crime has been committed, either by negligence or on purpose."
SUPER CAPTION: Jose Ochoa, Chief prosecutor, Lima
Petroperu, the state company which owns the Conchan refinery, has said it will clear up any polluted beaches.
Meanwhile the slick continues to drift up towards the beaches of Lima, 25 kilometres further north.
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