Colombia’s national oil company Ecopetrol stated that guerrillas from the FARC obligated six of their workers to open the valves on their trucks transporting oil at gunpoint, reports local media.
The attack involved several oil transport trucks that were ordered to open the valves containing crude oil while being threatened with death at gunpoint. According to national newspaper El Espectador, approximately 4,5oo gallons of crude oil were spilled.
A statement released by the local Ombudsman’s office stated, “Alleged FARC guerrillas halted six trucks, and forced the spilling of 107 barrels of crude, equivalent to 4,500 gallons of gasoline. Immediately, Ombudsman functionaries were dispatched to the area of the incident to assess the reaches of the attack.”
The incident, which occurred between Orito and Santana in Putumayo has serious implications for the environment, and quality of life in the area around where the incident occurred, according to national newsmagazine Semana.
A local schoolteacher stated that children are especially affected by these sorts of actions, and school must be cancelled on especially hot days, “It has caused us nausea and terrible headaches,” she told Semana.
This is by no means the first attack of this kind in the region, just two weeks ago, another convoy was forced to do the same and filmed while forced to do it, demonstrating the full effects of the incident.
MORE: ‘FARC’ forced truck drivers to spill 5K barrels of crude oil in southwest Colombia