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World

Colombia's army commander say oil spill by FARC rebels not as big or damaging as feared

Associated Press
Published | Updated
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    A soldier stands along a creek contaminated with crude oil in Puerto Asis, in Colombia’s southwestern state of Putumayo, Tuesday, July 15, 2014. Authorities are trying to control an oil spill that, according to the Minister of Mining, Amylkar Acosta, was caused when rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, forced truck drivers to dump nearly four thousand barrels of crude when they intercepted a convoy of 19 trucks carrying oil near the border with Ecuador on July 1. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara) (The Associated Press)

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    A military vehicle drives along a road covered with oil in Puerto Asis, in Colombia’s southwestern state of Putumayo, Tuesday, July 15, 2014. According to the Minister of Mining, Amylkar Acosta, on July 1 rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, forced drivers to spill nearly four thousand barrels of crude when they intercepted a convoy of 19 trucks carrying oil near the border with Ecuador. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara) (The Associated Press)

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    A soldier frisks a man at a military roadblock in Puerto Asis, in Colombia’s southwestern state of Putumayo, Tuesday, July 15, 2014. According to the Minister of Mining, Amylkar Acosta, rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, forced truck drivers to spill nearly four thousand barrels of crude when they intercepted a convoy of 19 trucks carrying oil near the border with Ecuador. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara) (The Associated Press)

PUERTO ASIS, Colombia – Colombian officials say an oil spill caused by rebels in the country's southwest may not have been as big as originally thought nor has it caused significant environmental damage.

Army commander Gen. Jaime Lasprilla says oil did not get into the Guamuez River after the incident last week in the Puerto Asis municipality, about 515 miles (830 kilometers) southwest of Bogota. Some creeks were contaminated.

Guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia stopped 19 tanker trucks and forced the drivers to dump an estimated 4,000 barrels of crude oil. Officials initially feared that water services for 100,000 people might be affected.

During a tour Tuesday, journalists found that most of the affected area had been cleaned up.