Brazil may be facing an environmental disaster in the Amazon jungle after a barge containing nearly 500,000 gallons of oil sank on Friday to the bottom of the Rio Para, part of the world’s largest river network, in the remote state of Para. Teams of divers have begun work to remove tanks from the barge, which was transporting fuel for the U.S. oil giant Texaco. Authorities said there are no signs of leaks at this point, and Texaco’s regional manager, Jose Ferreira Amin, claimed there was almost no risk of a spill because cool temperatures at the bottom of the river had thickened the oil. The accident came just two weeks after a big oil spill off the coast of Rio de Janeiro ruined the local fishing industry, killed wildlife, and contaminated a biological reserve.
