<br /> <p>A Colombian oil company waited for over three weeks to act on a spill that contaminated a 30-kilometers stretch of river, killed thousands of animals and forced dozens of families to leave their homes, according to local reports</a>.</p><p>The spill began on March 3 from the Lizama 158 oil field in Barrancabermeja, which is owned by Colombian state-owned oil company Ecopetrol. Between March 3 and March 27, approximately 23,100 gallons</a> of crude oil leaked into the Magdelena River and its tributaries.</p><p>It is estimated</a> that approximately 2,400 animals died and 1,300 were rescued as a result of contamination in the area. Reports also indicate that around 1,080 trees were also affected.</p><p>70 people in the area were relocated and a number of people presented with health problems such as vomiting, dizziness and headaches.</p><p>On March 26, Felipe Bayon</a>, the president of Ecopetrol said that the spill had been controlled and a specialized team from the US had been deployed to seal the leak. He apologized</a> for the incident and said that Ecopetrol was committed to taking necessary action.</p><p>Following Bayon’s statement, locals and environmental activists in the area told reporters</a> that two new spills had occurred close to the location of the first. Ecopetrol denied any new spills, but said a new hole had been discovered that was part of the first spill, and had since been controlled. Credit: Óscar Sampayo of GEAM and the Committee of the Vizcaya Agreement via Storyful</p><br />
