Five: Peru has stated the environmental emergency after announcing that 21 beaches on the Pacific Coast are contaminated by oil spills at the refesol run by Spanish-based Repsol, following a wave soaring caused by the eruption of the underwater volcano near Tonga.
President Pedro Castillo on Thursday said a committee would be formed to propose ways to deal with the crisis, in accordance with national policies aimed at protecting the environment.
Prime Minister Mirtha Vasquez said Repsol had promised to provide a cleaning schedule, to combine local fishermen in cleaning on the beach and to deliver food baskets for affected families.
Vasquez said the United Nations would provide a team of experts to help Peru handle oil spills.
People are prohibited for now to go to 21 polluted beaches due to health problems.
Peru’s authority said an Italian-flagged ship spilled 6,000 barrels in the Pacific on Saturday in front of La Pampilla refinery.
In the past few days, environmental activists have collected seabirds stained or die.
Repsol said Peru authorities had not given a tsunami warning and that the ship continued to dismantle oil to refineries when the waves hit.
Two women in Peru sank after being swept by strong waves after the Tonga eruption.