La Paz, Aug 9 (IANS/EFE) A pipeline was ruptured this weekend in Chapare, a coca-growing region in central Bolivia, spilling nearly 400 barrels of crude oil, state-owned oil company YPFB said.
A heavy machinery operator damaged the Carrasco-Cochabamba pipeline on Friday near Ivirgarzama town, YPFB said in a statement.
"The affected area has been cordoned off and the spilled product was contained with teams and specialised equipment," YPFB said.
"We will continue the clean-up and remediation" work over the next few days, it said.
Crude spilled into the Magareno river, killing fish, the private ATB network reported.
Containment booms and chemical agents were being used "to capture all the petroleum that's in the river", a YPFB technician told ATB.
--IANS/EFE
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