Putin hits out over struggle to contain oil spill
Russian president Vladimir Putin has vented his fury on local officials after efforts to contain a massive oil spill failed.
Streams have turned blood red by diesel after around 20,000 tonnes of fuel spilled from a tank at a power plant, prompting the president to declare a state of emergency.
The spill, 12 miles north of the city of Norilsk, has already polluted a large freshwater lake and there are concerns it could spread into the Arctic ocean.
"What do you mean, you've finished your report on the situation?" Putin blasted to officials. "What is going to be done?
"You're the governor. In your opinion, what happened and why did the authorities only learn about it after two days? Are we going to learn about emergency situations on social media now? Are you in your right mind over there?"
The company that runs the plant in eastern Siberia says the tank may have been built on soil that subsided with the warming of the underlying permafrost.
Environmental experts say the cleanup could take years and cost the equivalent of around 12 million euros.
