Spanish river suffers oil spill

A snake trapped in the oil spill in the River Tagus

Clean-up crews in central Spain are working to contain an oil spill in the River Tagus.

An estimated 100,000 litres of highly toxic oil leaked into the river on Tuesday from a power station in Villaseca de la Sagra, creating an 8km long slick.

Water to the nearby historic city of Toledo was cut off, and farmers in the area were warned not to use the river to irrigate their land.

The Spanish Environment Ministry says the spillage has largely been contained by a dam, and insists there is no public health risk.

An investigation is under way into the leak at the power plant that is owned by the Union Fenosa and Iberdrola companies.

Working through the night

More than 100 people worked through Tuesday night and all of Wednesday using pumps and shovels.

The spill could not have happened at a worse time of year

In some areas, chemicals were used to solidify the oil so it could be scooped out with shovels.

The dam that has contained the slick has also had to be shored up.

Spanish officials have said that the clean-up operation will take only two or three days, although the river banks may take far longer to recover.

Damage

Fish are under immediate threat from the spill, as the oil spreads over the river's surface and suffocates them.

Ecological groups have warned that the potential for damage is at its greatest because the spill occurred in the middle of summer when the Tagus River's water level is at its lowest.

The Tagus is one of Spain's longest rivers, winding its way south-west from Teruel province, in the north-east, across through Portugal before entering the Atlantic.