Oil Pipeline Attacked in Colombia Causing Guamues River Contamination, Ecopetrol Says

MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) – An attack on the Transandino pipeline in Colombia has caused an oil spill that is contaminating the Guamues River, Colombia’s oil giant Ecopetrol has announced.

According to the company, the attack was carried out at around 1:39 pm local time (18:39 GMT) on Saturday, in the municipality of Orito, in Colombia’s Department of Putumayo.

"The attack caused a rupture of the pipeline and oil spill in the sector, which affected the Guamues River," Ecopetrol said in a statement, released on Twitter.

En lo corrido del 2019 se han registrado 19 atentados contra este oleoducto que transporta el crudo producido en el departamento de Putumayo y Nariño hacia el
puerto de Tumaco, en el Pacífico. pic.twitter.com/grmhX9B9uN

— Ecopetrol (@ECOPETROL_SA) October 5, 2019

The company has notified the local Risk and Disaster Management authorities and is taking emergency measures to prevent further contamination of the environment.

Ecopetrol did not say who was behind the attack.

According to the company, the Transandino pipeline has come under 19 attacks this year.

In 2016, another oil pipeline owned by Ecopetrol came under attack, also resulting in river contamination. The bombing of the pipeline in Colombia’s Arauca Department led to an oil spill into the Bojaba river near the border with Venezuela.