A toxic leak to the Besòs river recorded after a fire in an industrial chemical state in Polinyà, outside of Barcelona, has caused the death of over 1,000 fish in the same river.
Seven different local species, including an endangered eel, are among the dead animals.
These are provisional figures, as Tomás Carrión, environmental services from the Santa Coloma de Gramenet city council, told the Catalan News Agency (ACN) on Sunday. Experts will need to study in the upcoming days the final consequences, including to birds, of the blaze that happened in the early hours of Friday.
The situation is “severe” and can be “compared” to previous accidents registered in 2019.
Due to the leak, the Besòs Parc Fluvial and Barcelona’s Fòrum beach are closed, at least until Monday.
Catalan rural agents and the Catalan Water Agency (ACA) are investigating the pouring of liquid manure into the Abella river, in the Pallars Jussà county in the Pyrenees.
The events occurred on Friday, and rural agents say they have seen around 200 dead fish in the five-kilometer river, including protected species.
Agents believe the liquid manure could come from a nearby farm.