BULGARIA: Villagers call for sanctions over Danube spill

Record ID: 344048

  • Title: BULGARIA: Villagers call for sanctions over Danube spill
  • Date: 5th October 2006
  • Summary: (BN14) BOTEVO, BULGARIA (OCTOBER 04, 2006) (REUTERS) DANUBE RIVER NEAR BOTEVO VILLAGE NEAR VIDIN GREASE FLOATING ON THE WATER BOAT NAVIGATING AMIDST OIL SPILL VARIOUS OF OIL FLOATING ON WATER PIECE OF OIL DIRT ON BEACH VARIOUS OF POLLUTED WATER MAN FISHING IN POLLUTED WATERS (SOUNDBITE) (Bulgarian) PETAR PETROV, VILLAGER FROM BOTEVO, SAYING: "Look around, what a mess! Look here the dirt that is floating on Danube." (SOUNDBITE) (Bulgarian) ANGEL IVANOV, BOTEVO RESIDENT SAYING: "There must be sanctions for those, who spoiled the river." FISHING BOATS ON RIVER
  • Embargoed: 20th October 2006 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Bulgaria
  • Country: Bulgaria
  • Topics: Environment / Natural World,Energy
  • Reuters ID: LVA6OYQEKAN66F5MYNC6QWEOQTGN
  • Story Text: Villagers along the Danube River are continuing to manage the effects of a 140 kilometres long oil spill which has been making its way down the river.
    In the Bulgaria angry villagers in Botevo are calling for sanctions against the companies responsible for the oil spill.
    "Look around, what a mess! Look here the dirt that is floating on Danube," said Petar Perov, whilst trying to fish near his home in Botevo.
    "There must be sanctions for those, who spoiled the river," said Angel Ivanov another Boteva resident.
    On Tuesday (October 3) Bulgarian authorities warned people against using water from the Danube river after the spill flowed downstream into its territory.
    The spill, 140 km (86 miles) long and between 100 and 150 metres wide, may have originated in Serbia, although Belgrade has not confirmed its source.
    The environment ministry in Bulgaria has asked for official inquiries from all member states of the Danube Convention -- Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine -- to identify the source of the spill.
    The Serbian Waterways Inspectorate told Reuters it was looking into the spill.
    On Tuesday, Kirilov said that despite the bans on using the Danube water, no dead fish had been found and the population was not in danger.
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