SARATOV, January 2 (RIA Novosti) - A pipeline in the southeastern Russian province of Saratov has leaked nearly 40,000 U.S. gallons of oil over an area of more than 12 acres, a source at a regional law-enforcement agency said Tuesday.
"A portion of the Samara-Lisichansk pipeline, 1.22 meters in diameter, ruptured Monday 1.5 kilometers [1 mile] away from the town of Bratsky, in the Ivanteyevsky district, spilling 150 cubic meters [39,630 U.S. gallons] of oil across 5 hectares (12.5 acres) of surrounding land," the source said.
As the broken pipeline is being fixed, an investigation is looking into what may have cased the rupture and what the environmental implications of the resultant spill are likely to be.
Emergency officials said the rupture occurred 1.2 meters beneath the ground surface and that the pipeline will take about 3 days to repair.
