A Peruvian navy vessel has collided with an oil platform within the Amazon River, killing at the very least two folks and leaving one lacking.
The collision occurred within the early hours of Friday morning on the junction of the Napo and Amazon rivers, inflicting “extreme harm”, Peru’s defence ministry mentioned.
Thirty crew members have been rescued from the vessel, with specialised diving groups and helicopters deployed as a part of the search operation, the assertion added.
Anglo-French firm Perenco, which owns the platform, mentioned that the vessel had collided with the bow chain of the empty storage vessel. The Peruvian defence ministry mentioned it was investigating the reason for the collision.
“Peru’s Navy deeply regrets the irreparable lack of our crew members,” the defence ministry mentioned, including that it could present help to their family members.
The ministry mentioned the vessel, known as Ucayali, hit the platform whereas it was navigating close to the mouth of the Napo River in northern Peru.
In a press release, a spokesperson for Perenco instructed the BBC that “at roughly 1.30am the Peruvian Navy’s BAP Ucayali collided with the bow chain of the AF Manatí, an empty Perenco storage vessel at everlasting anchor”.
The spokesperson mentioned that Perenco had assisted the Peruvian Navy’s search and rescue operation, including that the corporate “extends its condolences to the households of the sailors misplaced within the incident”.
There are a whole bunch of gasoline and oil blocks in areas of Peru, Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador lined by the Amazon rainforest. Spills within the area have had a devastating impression on indigenous communities and native wildlife.
In 2022, the Peruvian authorities mentioned that virtually 12,000 barrels of oil had leaked into the ocean after a tanker was hit by waves linked to a volcanic eruption on Tonga.
