A nearly 15-square-kilometre oil spill drifting off the coast of Argentina's southern Patagonia has started to contaminate around four kilometres of beaches, local media reported Friday, according to dpa. At least 500 water fowl have died in the oil spill, which was discovered Thursday in the Atlantic Ocean near the city of Caleta Cordova in the province of Chubut. Penguins and many often rare species of bird live on the Patagonian coast, and Rene Tula - president of the region's resident federation - spoke of the possibility of a "real tragedy." Officials believe slick was the result of an oil leak from a ship's tank. Caleta Cordova is the location of an oil harbour from which runs a large pipeline to load tankers far out to sea. Officials asserted that there were no technical problems registered at the facility. The central government in Buenos Aires in the meantime has set up an "emergency plan" in cooperation with the local Chubut government and several environmental groups to clean up the spill.
