An unknown amount of potentially carcinogenic oil which leaked from a power transformer at a dam in the southern Bosnian town of Jablanica has reached a nearby artificial lake, police said on Monday. “The cooling oil leaked from the power transformer on Sunday afternoon. We received reports that it had reached the Jablanicko lake and formed a large slick,” police spokesman Srecko Bosnjak told AFP.
He explained that the power transformer, which usually contains 18 tonnes of cooling oil, was not in use and was stored within the plant.
If used the oil could be potentially carcinogenic, he said, adding that the valve at the transformer was found opened.
An investigation was under way to determine the circumstances of the incident and also to find out how much oil has leaked out.
Urgent protection measures, including the closure of the two downstream dams, have been undertaken.
All reports Monday indicated that the oil slick has been stopped at the second dam and caused no damage to the lake’s fauna, Bosnjak said.
A specialized Croatian company has been called to clean the oil slick.
The incident occured 90 kilometers (54 miles) from the Neretva’s delta in Croatia where it empties into the Adriatic sea.
Source: Agence France-Presse
