Russia‘s President Vladimir Putin has declared a state of emergency after 20,000 tonnes of diesel oil leaked into a river within the Arctic Circle.
The spill happened when a fuel tank at a power plant near the Siberian city of Norilsk collapsed last Friday.
The plant is owned by a subsidiary of Norilsk Nickel, which is the world’s leading nickel and palladium producer. The power plant’s director Vyacheslav Starostin has been taken into custody until 31 July, but not yet charged.
Putin appeared shocked to learn that local authorities were first flagged to the incident by social media — two days after it happened and criticized the region’s governor Alexander Uss during the televised meeting, Reuters reported.
