Canary Islands battles oil slick after ferry crashes into underwater pipes

By Staff Reuters

Posted April 22, 2017 7:49 pm EST

Updated April 22, 2017 7:54 pm EST

1 min read

This article is more than 7 years old and some information may not be up to date.

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.

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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.

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