Thick film of fuel oil covers lake in Türkiye after accident at NATO oil pipeline

A thick film of fuel oil has covered Lake Sapanca in western Türkiye after an accident at a NATO oil pipeline, Report informs referring to the Milliyet newspaper.

“The fuel oil leak occurred after a branch of the NATO oil pipeline was damaged during road work in Kocaeli province, causing fuel to flow into Lake Sapanca, which supplies fresh water to 4-5 million people,” the newspaper reported.

The authorities began to eliminate the consequences of the accident by installing containment booms. The local water and sewerage department says the contaminated part of the lake is located far from water intake points.

The NATO oil pipeline, more than 3,000 km long, laid across Türkiye satisfies the needs of the Turkish Armed Forces and NATO forces.