Madrid 5 (European Press)
An oil spill of more than 22 kilometers in length has been discovered in the Gulf of Mexico after the passage of Hurricane Ida, which over the past week has caused chaos across the United States, leaving more than 40 people dead.
The spill occurred near the coastal city of Port Fortune, Louisiana, where the hurricane first made landfall in the North American country.
According to the newspaper “The New York Times”, which quoted a lieutenant in the US Coast Guard, it is believed that the oil spill came from an abandoned pipeline belonging to the company “Talos Energy Inc.” Dedicated to the exploration of hydrocarbons.
However, the company denies that the source of the leak was at its facilities. “Extensive field observations indicate that Talos’ assets are not the source,” the company said in a statement, although it says it is working with authorities to “coordinate the response” and identify the source of the leak.
The Coast Guard and various local agencies are now working to contain the spill. According to Louisiana’s office of oil spill coordinator, Sam Jones, this is the largest spill ever recorded in the area after a hurricane passed. His office received 265 reports of spills after Ida passed, 35 of which were “serious,” according to Jones.
According to the Louisiana Department of Environment, citing Bloomberg, there have been more than 100 incidents of toxic spills and discharges as a result of Hurricane Ida’s passage through the territory.
In Louisiana, hundreds of thousands of people are still without electricity. At least 48 people died as a direct result of the hurricane in Louisiana, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
US President Joe Biden has appealed to insurance companies after information was received that some of them were refusing to cover damages if there was no express eviction order for the damaged home.
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