U.S. oil spill in Yellowstone river prompts evacuation
LOS ANGELES. July 3. KAZINFORM An oil pipeline rupture beneath the Yellowstone River has prompted temporary evacuation of residents in south-central Montana, authorities said on Saturday. Kazinform refers to Xinhua.
Oil slick from the rupture fouled more than 40 km of the waterway, local newspaper The Billings Gazette reported, quoting state officials.
Brent Peters, the fire chief for Laurel, a town about 1.5 km downstream from the rupture, said the spill from the 30cm diameter pipe owned by ExxonMobil occurred some time around 11:30 p.m. (1830 GMT) Friday.
About 140 people in Laurel were evacuated early Saturday due to concerns of possible explosions and the overpowering fumes, and then allowed to return at about 4 a.m. (1100 GMT) after fumes had dissipated, Peters said.
He also mentioned that the river where the leak occurred was 230 meters wide, and the oil slick appeared to be about six meters wide.
Duane Winslow, Yellowstone County director of disaster and emergency services, said the plume was dissipating as it moved downstream.
Exxon has not said what caused the leak, but Yellowstone County officials said the rupture might be caused by debris, which was made possible by high waters eroding parts of the river bed and exposing the pipeline.
Exxon spokeswoman Pam Malek said the pipe leaked an estimated 750 barrels to 1,000 barrels of oil for about half an hour before it was shut down.
The cleanup effort would be monitored by the state Department of Environmental Quality, Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the Environmental Protection Agency. Kazinform cites Xinhua. See www.xinhuanet.com for full version