BICOM

An oil spill just north of Israel’s southernmost city Eilat has flooded a nature reserve and is being classified as one of the country’s worst environmental disasters.

The spill occurred on Wednesday night when it is thought that maintenance workers on the Trans-Israel pipeline inadvertently caused damage during routine work. The pipeline transfers oil from Eilat to the Mediterranean coastal city of Ashkelon. The gush, which occurred about 12 miles north of Eilat flooded around up to one thousand acres of the Evrona nature reserve, in a flow of around 4.3 miles. The nature reserve is home to rare flora, fauna, Middle Eastern trees, rodents and around 280 deer.

The spill however is unlikely to impact the nearby delicate Red Sea eco-system, due to the lack of rainfall in the area. However, Route 90, the main motorway in the very south of the country, was closed for a time and several Israelis were treated for inhalation. A number of Jordanians in nearby Aqaba also reportedly received treatment.

An operation to stem the spill began immediately and an initial clean-up will reportedly be completed this weekend. However, it is likely to take several months in order to complete the process and there could be lasting damage to the landscape.

Guy Samet, southern region director of the Environmental Protection Ministry told Channel Ten, “This is one of the gravest pollution events in the country’s history… We’re talking about thousands of gallons of crude oil, which will endanger local wildlife and the surrounding nature reserve.”

According to Haaretz, Shaul Goldstein, director-general of the Nature and Parks Authority said that there would be an investigation of the oil pipeline company to examine whether the spill was the result of an accident or negligence. However, police ruled out that any foul play had played a part in the disaster.