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Canary Islands battles oil slick after ferry crashes into underwater pipes

Click to play video: 'Canary Islands battles oil slick after ferry crashes into underwater pipes'
Canary Islands battles oil slick after ferry crashes into underwater pipes
WATCH: At least 13 passengers were injured when a ferry slammed into a sea wall at a port on the Canary Islands sending chunks of concrete onto a service road. – Apr 22, 2017

MADRID, April 22 (Reuters) – Emergency teams in the Canary Islands raced on Saturday to contain a three-kilometer oil slick caused by a ferry crashing into underwater fuel pipes, the regional government said in a statement.

The regional government activated emergency plans to control and clean up the nearly two-mile spill around Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Telde, the two main towns on the Spanish resort island of Gran Canaria, the regional government said.

READ MORE: System issued alarm for hours prior to Husky oil spill: report

No one at the emergency services or government could be reached for further comment on Saturday.

The ferry crashed into a pier where the pipes were located late on Friday after suffering a technical fault that caused a power cut, a spokesman for operating company Naviera Armas on Saturday.

The 140 passengers were unhurt apart from some minor injuries, he said

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