QUITO, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- A fuel spill off the UNESCO-listed Galapagos Islands triggered by the sinking of a barge is "under control," the Ecuadorian government announced Sunday.
According to local media reports, the incident, in which one person was injured, took place at a port near San Cristobal, the easternmost island in the Galapagos archipelago.
A crane collapsed while loading a container at the port, causing a barge carrying 600 gallons of diesel fuel to capsize, local media said.
Ecuadorian authorities put "emergency protocols" in place on Sunday to contain the environmental impact of the spill.
"The situation is under control, and a series of actions have been deployed to mitigate the possible effects," the country's presidential office said in a statement.
The Galapagos Islands are world-famous for their numerous endemic species. In 1978, UNESCO declared the Galapagos Islands a world heritage site.
