MANILA, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Approximately 40,000 liters of oil spilled into the waters off the central Philippines' Lapuz town in Iloilo City after an explosion rocked a power barge on Friday afternoon, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said.
In a statement, the PCG said one of the four oil tanks of the power barge, which contained some 48,000 liters of oil, exploded around 3 p.m. and spilled around 40,000 liters into the sea.
According to the local disaster management officials, an estimated area of 1,200 square meters was affected by the spillage. The officials also said the explosion triggered a fire that was declared out in less than 30 minutes.
The PCG said its personnel "immediately rendered assistance" to contain the spillage.
A containment boom was used to stop the oil spill from polluting the waters, the PCG said, adding that oil skimmers were also used to limit the impact of the oil spill. Enditem
